Since President Donald Trump’s slew of executive orders threatening to withdraw funding from research, offices and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion, concerns around Washington’s crackdown on DEI-related initiatives have circulated among leaders in higher education. As a private institution, NYU’s finances are not as susceptible to federal cuts, but the university has already seen terminations to at least two research grants and NYU Langone Health canceled gender-affirming care after the Trump administration issued a now-blocked order banning it.
In a Feb. 2 statement to WSN, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said the university is “closely monitoring emerging federal policies on all matters related to higher education” and will continue to offer counseling services, support groups and listening sessions to community members. NYU President Linda Mills also said in a Feb. 6 email that the university would continue its “How We Engage Toolkit,” a module series that mandates students to agree to its controversial non-discrimination policy.
“NYU has always represented opportunity for those seeking a better life through education,” Beckman said. “Even as we are bound to follow changes to the law, we will continue to uphold our values and to support the NYU community we cherish, one that draws from all corners of the country and the world, and from all walks of life.”
In interviews with WSN, professors at NYU said they do not feel threatened by the executive orders because the university had been preparing for incoming DEI changes since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in 2023.
Susan Antón, CAS professor and Office of Inclusive Excellence’s vice dean, told WSN that the order was still recent and its long-term impact was yet to be realized. Antón added that her office networks professors across different interests to cultivate a diverse group without explicit programming.
“There has been this idea that it is only about demographics and not about opportunities,” Antón told WSN. “It’s about really creating a community in which everybody can do the best work that they possibly can and be the best at whatever it is they want.”
Marybeth Gasman, executive director for the Rutgers University Center for Minority Serving Institutions, agreed that the department’s reliance on private funding prepared Rutgers’ DEI program to counter potential cuts. Gasman told WSN that she plans to apply for more private grants and reach out to previous donors, but that her office would inevitably see some hits.
Shortly after the executive order went into effect, Gasman received an email from a contractor demanding that she cancel an upcoming conference for around 100 students and staff from historically Black colleges and universities to discuss internships. The event, funded by the Department of Labor, was moved online.
“It’s a blow to all the work that has been done to try to level the playing field and bring equity to the surface,” Gasman said in an interview with WSN. “That colleges and universities are going to have to be pretty creative about this.”
During the first week of his presidency, Trump signed a series of executive orders terminating programs, policies and positions the administration deemed “illegal and immoral.” These orders direct federal agencies to review and eliminate “the most egregious and discriminatory DEI practitioners,” and specifically called for investigations into colleges with endowments over $1 billion.
Since Trump took office, several of NYU’s peer universities have taken steps to protect their DEI programming. Northeastern University renamed its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to Office of Belonging, Harvard University removed its required diversity statements for prospective faculty members and the University of Pennsylvania shut down several of its DEI-related websites.
After the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action in 2023, NYU’s class of 2028 saw a significant drop in enrollment of underrepresented minorities. Black and Latino student enrollment fell from 7% to 4% and 15% to 10%, respectively, while enrollment for students eligible for Pell Grants rose to 23% from 19%.
Contact Aditte Parasher at [email protected].
