UPenn law school shuts down DEI office that ran anti-bias training for future lawyers
Archived programs show future attorneys were taught to analyze bias and identity as part of courtroom preparation.
Closure follows Penn’s retreat from DEI mandates, though some departments refuse to scale back.
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School will close its Office of Equal Opportunity and Engagement (EO&E) at the end of the summer, Dean Sophia Lee announced in a statement.
Lee wrote that the closure reflects a shift toward embedding values of “belonging” throughout the law school, rather than housing them in a standalone office. EO&E has operated as the law school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office since its founding.
[RELATED: UMD renames diversity office to ‘Belonging & Community’ as DEI programs face pressure]
A May 2025 archived version of EO&E’s website describes its mission as advancing “a collegial and supportive culture” at the law school through training “open to all students, staff, and faculty.” The office highlighted three central initiatives: Anti-Bias Programs, Dialogue Initiatives, and a Consultation Program.
The Anti-Bias Programs were “inspired by the American Bar Association’s requirement that law schools educate students on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.” The series included identity reflection workshops, classroom analysis of bias in legal instruction, alumni panels on identity in the profession, and small group sessions on addressing bias in advocacy.
On Aug. 29, 2024, EO&E hosted Part I. Identity & Advocacy: Understanding Yourself and Others to Become a More Effective Law Student and Lawyer, which examined the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and what it described as “the duty lawyers have to address bias and discrimination.”
A later session, Part IV. Career Conversations: Building a Professional Identity on Mar. 3, featured alumni discussing how they “leverage all aspects of their identities as personal and professional strengths.” Another workshop, An Introduction to Gender Diversity, instructed students on “best practices in appropriately engaging with and supporting colleagues across gender identities.”
EO&E’s closure marks one of the strongest retreats from DEI at Penn, which has already scaled back diversity efforts after federal directives limited certain trainings. In response, Penn removed or renamed more than a dozen DEI positions across its graduate schools.
University President J. Larry Jameson recently stated that Penn is reviewing “policies, programs, and practices” to ensure compliance with federal law. “I write today to provide guidance to sustain our missions while ensuring Penn complies with federal law,” Jameson said.
Not all departments have followed the rollback. In April, Penn’s Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies program affirmed it will retain DEI language on its website, writing that it remains “committed to affirming students, staff, and faculty of all genders and identities, including trans and non-binary individuals.”
Campus Reform has contacted the Carey Law School for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
