Sun Jan 05 20:10:00 IST 2025: ## America Rethinks DEI: Research Challenges Effectiveness, Funding Cuts Follow

**Des Moines, IA** – A growing body of evidence is challenging the effectiveness of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, leading to a nationwide reassessment of these initiatives. Twenty years after Barack Obama’s call for national unity, the DEI movement, significantly boosted by Executive Order 13583 in 2011, is facing mounting criticism.

While initially propelled by events like the Trayvon Martin shooting and the death of George Floyd, and bolstered by McKinsey’s 2015 report linking diversity to profitability (a finding now disputed), recent studies cast doubt on DEI’s impact. Research from John Hand and Jeremiah Green failed to replicate McKinsey’s findings, showing no correlation between board diversity and profitability. A New York Times investigation into the University of Michigan’s quarter-billion-dollar DEI program revealed worsened racial tensions and decreased cross-group interaction. A Rutgers study further indicated that DEI training materials may even foster perceptions of racism where none exists.

The focus on race and sexual preference in hiring and admissions, coupled with the rise of workplace affinity groups and race-based student housing (potentially violating the Fair Housing Act), has arguably increased division rather than fostering unity.

This growing skepticism is translating into action. Corporate America is slashing DEI budgets, and several public universities are scaling back or eliminating their programs, often prompted by state legislatures. The potential shift in federal policy under a Republican-controlled Congress could further curtail government-funded DEI initiatives.

The overarching goal of these changes, according to commentators like David Barker, a member of the Iowa Board of Regents, is a return to merit-based systems and need-based assistance, abandoning race and sexual preference as primary criteria. The hope is that this shift will promote institutional effectiveness, individual advancement, and a reduction in societal polarization.

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