New Issue Brief Finds DEI Statements Could Function as Ideological Screening in Academic Hiring

NEW YORK, NY – Last week the University of California Board of Regents announced the entire University of California system would eliminate the use of standalone diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statements in faculty hiring. Diversity statements are often described as a supporting, additive component of faculty job applications and a means to encourage a more diverse university environment. However, in UC Provost Katherine Newman’s announcement of the change, she suggested the requirement to submit a diversity statement may be impeding the hiring process, saying, “It leads applicants to focus on an aspect of their candidacy that is outside their expertise or prior experience.” A new Manhattan Institute issue brief by Nathan Honeycutt, research fellow at Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, confirms Newman’s concern—that DEI may receive outsized influence on academic hiring decisions.

Honeycutt is the first to assess how faculty evaluate DEI statements and what faculty think about them. He analyzed data from seven survey experiments involving nearly 5,000 tenured and tenure-track university faculty and found that faculty exhibit a clear preference for DEI statements discussing race, ethnicity and gender. Conversely, applicants who did not emphasize race- or gender-based DEI initiatives but chose to highlight other forms of diversity like socioeconomic status, rural diversity, or viewpoint diversity consistently received lower evaluations. Such outcomes suggest that DEI statements in this context are likely operating as an ideological screening device.

Based on these findings, Honeycutt is concerned that rather than being an additive part of an application, DEI statements could instead gatekeep applicants who do not engage in the “correct” actions and efforts. Honeycutt thinks these results should prompt colleges and universities to reevaluate the purported goal, function, and use of DEI statements, particularly if these institutions strive to foster a more open and intellectually vibrant environment free of ideological filters.

Click here to read the full issue brief.