President Donald Trump recently put the wealthiest U.S. colleges and universities on notice: If your endowment exceeds $1 billion, prepare for an investigation.
The president said he plans to shut down what he called “illegal and immoral discrimination,” under the umbrella of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs with racial or gender preferential treatment in student admission, financial aid, employment, and curricula at elite institutions.
Under a Jan. 21 executive order that cites long-standing civil rights laws, identity-based functions such as so-called antiracism training or minority hiring initiatives are prohibited. Those who don’t scrap DEI face costly repercussions.
More than 120 U.S. colleges and universities have $1 billion-plus endowments, including all Ivy League institutions and the most selective flagship state universities, according to the National Center for Education Statistics….