Harvard Business, Divinity Schools drop DEI for ‘Community’ rebranding
Harvard Divinity School and Harvard Business School have joined the growing number of institutions at the university to close their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
Both HDS and HBS recently announced closures of their dedicated DEI initiatives, according to The Harvard Crimson.
Harvard Divinity School (HDS) and Harvard Business School (HBS) have joined the growing number of institutions at Harvard University to close their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
Both HDS and HBS recently announced closures of their dedicated DEI initiatives, according to The Harvard Crimson.
The divinity school transformed its DEI office into the “Office of Community and Belonging,” effective July 1, the school administration announced.
HBS has taken down websites for minority and LGBT support and has replaced “diversity and inclusion” with “community and culture” in some job titles.
Previously, Harvard Medical School (HMS) also renamed its DEI office, according to Harvard Magazine. Specifically, HMS renamed its “Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership” the “Office for Culture and Community Engagement.”
Last May, HBS published an article detailing the extent of “DEI work” on its campus.
“Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at HBS is unwavering,” Angela Crispi, executive dean for administration, said at the time. “We know that the more work we do in this arena, the more we realize that we’re capable of finding excellence in so many places and that we can do more.”
“It’s not like DEI is a nice to have, it is an imperative if what you care about is excellence in your organizations,” added Kristin Mugford, senior lecturer and the school’s senior associate dean for culture and community.
Campus Reform previously reported that the university already renamed several diversity offices across its schools. Harvard College and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences both dropped “diversity” and “equity” from their office titles, replacing them with names focused on “culture” and “community.”
Campus Reform has also reported that Harvard’s Graduate School of Education shut down its DEI office and removed its chief diversity officer, redistributing DEI duties to other departments.
These changes follow federal pressure, including one of President Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders, prompting similar moves at other universities nationwide.
In the midst of the federal crackdown against DEI, schools such as the University of Southern California, the University of Alaska, Vanderbilt University, and Notre Dame University have removed DEI references and statements online.
Campus Reform has contacted Harvard University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
