Facing mounting pressure from conservative lawmakers in the state, the University of Missouri (MU) is set to dismantle its division dedicated to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).
Though not yet mandated by the state, UM System President Mun Choi said in a recent press briefing that the decision to reorganize the division was made proactively as to not risk provoking stricter legislation and budget cuts, which would lead to extensive jobs loss within the system.
“We realize the political situations that have occurred in other universities across the United States, including Texas, and Florida, Utah, and now Alabama, as well as many others,” Choi said at the briefing. “We do believe that our proactive approaches in the past have really played an important role when diverting these bills from passing.”
In recent years, there have been numerous legislative efforts in Missouri targeting DEI. For example, during the 2023 state budget debates language was introduced to ban diversity efforts across state government, though it was later removed. Moreover, Sen. Bill Eigel, a leading Republican candidate for governor, has vowed to terminate all state employees, including those at colleges and universities, working to promote diversity and inclusion.
The four units of MU’s DEI division will be integrated into other university offices, ensuring their missions continue without job losses. At the briefing, outgoing Vice Chancellor Maurice Gipson — who oversaw the DEI division — expressed confidence that the DEI efforts would persist despite the restructuring.
“We’ve been inspired and impressed that our colleagues here say, ‘This is going to work, we don’t have to all be underneath, necessarily the same place to get this work done,’” Gipson said at the briefing.
Choi emphasized that while diversity efforts are seen as ideological by some, the university aims to foster inclusion without making DEI highly visible.
The recent reorganization also follows the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against race-based admissions and directives from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to cease race-based standards in university decisions. The university has since eliminated race-based criteria in scholarships and job applications.
