Universities In Alabama Scrap DEI Offices Ahead Of New Law

By JENNIFER NUELLE, DCNF. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville Three University of Alabama System campuses shut down their diversity, equity and inclusio

Three University of Alabama System campuses shut down their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices on Tuesday, instead replacing them with “student success” programs in preparation for a new state law set to take effect Oct. 1, according to the Associated Press.

The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama in Huntsville all announced they would shutter the offices in compliance with SB 129, which prohibits “certain public entities from maintaining diversity equity, and inclusion offices and from sponsoring diversity, equity, and inclusion, programs,” the AP reported.

Instead, the University of Alabama opened a “Division of Opportunities, Connections and Success” while the Birmingham campus opened an Office of Access and Engagement.

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“Glad to see the University of Alabama System is ELIMINATING its DEI offices and shifting funds to support its students. It’s time for DEI to DIE,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville.

“This is a new office with a new, exciting function, focusing on what we can do to promote success for everyone in the UAB community,” University of Alabama at Birmingham President Ray L. Watts said in a statement. “This purposeful focus will have lasting benefits for the UAB community, Birmingham, Alabama, and beyond.”

The office “will address barriers associated with higher education access, recruitment, retention and success through outreach and engagement, leadership and co-curricular activities, service learning and academic success programs,” according to the university website. It will be led by Paulette Dilworth, vice president for access and engagement, who led the university’s DEI efforts, AP reported.

The state law defines DEI programs as “any program, class, training, seminar, or other event where attendance is based on an individual’s race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin. or sexual orientation.”

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“Differences, including differences of opinion, shared with civility, strengthen our campus community,” University of Alabama President Stuart R. Bell stated in the announcement. “Our faculty, staff and students will continue to engage in free speech, exercise academic freedom, and join in wide-ranging thought and discussion on issues that impact our world.”

University of Alabama’s “Division of Opportunities, Connections and Success” will be led by Christine Taylor, former vice president/associate vice provost of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Several other universities across the county have shuttered DEI-related programs to comply with state laws regarding college campuses.

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In April, the University of Texas started laying off dozens of DEI-centered staff in compliance with a bill signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2023. Some universities found loopholes around similar bans by renaming programs, such as the University of Tennessee renaming its DEI office as the “Division of Access and Engagement.”

The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama at Birmingham deferred the Daily Caller News Foundation to official statements. The University of Alabama in Huntsville did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.