The campus of Yale University seen in New Haven, Conn. Yale is among 45 institutions that are currently under examination for purportedly participating in “race-exclusionary practices.”
Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
During his time as a Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers University, Leyland Lucas noticed a scarcity of faculty members in the business department who resembled him. Being Black and hailing from Guyana, he found that the Ph.D. Project, a small nonprofit organization, was instrumental in his successful navigation through and completion of his doctoral studies.
“I owe a great deal to this program, which plays a crucial role,” states Lucas, now a dean at the University of Guyana.
For approximately three decades, the Ph.D. Project has offered support, mentorship, and guidance to students from underrepresented backgrounds pursuing doctoral degrees in business.
Prior to his return to Guyana, Lucas held a professorship at Morgan State University in Baltimore, where he also mentored students through the Ph.D. Project.
“When you see individuals like you who appreciate some of the hurdles you’re encountering and have successfully navigated those challenges, it serves as a source of motivation,” Lucas remarks.
However, this small nonprofit’s initiative to diversify academia has recently captured the attention of the Trump administration.
The U.S. Education Department announced it was investigating 45 universities with graduate schools affiliated with the program, including well-known institutions like the University of Kansas, the University of Utah, and Ivy League schools such as Cornell and Yale. The Department claims that these universities are breaching the 1964 Civil Rights Act because the Ph.D. Project imposes eligibility criteria based on race, thus partaking in “race-exclusionary practices.”
This announcement arrives as several universities are beginning to reassess their DEI-related collaborations, scholarships, and initiatives. Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has rolled out a series of executive orders aimed at prohibiting DEI activities and provided guidance to schools and colleges directing them to “stop using race preferences and stereotypes” across campus functions including admissions, hiring, and activities. Certain institutions have disbanded their diversity offices, halted the utilization of “diversity statements” in hiring processes, or altered staff and department titles to erase DEI references.
The Ph.D. Project has not been exempt from this shift. Recently, the University of Iowa ended its partnership with the organization following the state Board of Regents’ decision to abolish all programs that fulfill DEI roles. After the announcement of the federal inquiry, the University of Kentucky also severed ties with the Ph.D. Project, even though it currently has no doctoral students engaged in the program.
“If individuals can see representations of themselves who comprehend some obstacles they’re facing, and they observe how these figures have successfully overcome such challenges, it serves as motivation for them,” Lucas states.
However, with an aim of enriching diversity within academia, this small nonprofit has recently caught the attention of the Trump administration.
The U.S. Department of Education made it known that they were investigating 45 universities with graduate schools partnering with the program, which includes the University of Kansas, University of Utah, and prominent Ivy League institutions like Cornell and Yale. Allegedly, these institutions are infringing upon the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as the eligibility criteria of the Ph.D. Project are based on race, leading to accusations of “race-exclusionary practices.”
This scrutiny has coincided with some universities reassessing their partnerships and affiliations concerning DEI-related initiatives, scholarships, and projects. Since his presidency began in January, Trump has enacted several executive orders aimed at terminating DEI efforts, issuing directions to colleges and universities to eliminate any race-based preferences and stereotypes in every facet of campus life, including admissions, recruitment, and programming. Numerous universities have removed their diversity offices, ceased the incorporation of “diversity statements” in recruitment practices, or adjusted personnel and department terminology to exclude DEI-related terms.
The Ph.D. Project has not avoided this trend. Recently, the University of Iowa ended its association with the nonprofit following the unanimous vote from the state’s Board of Regents to discontinue any initiatives with DEI features. Following the federal investigation announcement, the University of Kentucky also disengaged from the Ph.D. Project, even without any active doctoral participants involved in the program.
