UMass Chan to form working group to address Trump Administration’s anti-DEI demands

Photo I Courtesy of UMass Chan Medical School UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester

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In response to the President Donald Trump Administration’s Feb. 14 threat to potentially cut off federal funding to U.S. colleges that continue with their DEI initiatives, UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester is assembling a committee to navigate the rapidly changing and uncertain landscape of higher education policies and federal regulations.

“As the commonwealth’s only public academic health sciences campus, we are committed to our mission to advance the health and wellness of our diverse communities throughout Massachusetts and across the world by leading and innovating in education, research, health care delivery and public service,” UMass Chan Chancellor Dr. Michael Collins and Provost and Dean Dr. Terence Flotte wrote in a Thursday memo to the UMass Chan community.

The Advancing DEI Working Group is tasked with the objectives to ensure all policies, programs, and activities are up to date and compliant with current federal and state law; do not restrict participation or access based on protected class or status; are aligned with the university mission to provide an affordable and accessible education; and to conduct programs of research and public service that advance knowledge and improve the lives of the people across the globe, according to the memo.

The Advancing DEI Working Group will be assembled by UMass Chan Vice Chancellor For Diversity and Inclusion Marlina Duncan.

“Our institutional mission includes training the physician, nursing, and biomedical sciences workforces needed to provide the best possible care to all. As summarized in the 2003 Institute of Medicine report Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, there is abundant published evidence to indicate that patients have better health outcomes when cared for by a diverse healthcare workforce. Therefore, we must continue to pursue evidence-based approaches to achieve our diversity goals. The Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing have published additional scholarly references and resources,” said the memo.

UMass Chan will discuss any possible changes to its policies, programs, and activities with its senior leadership in consultation with the UMass Office of General Counsel.

The school’s working group announcement comes after a Feb. 26 letter from the offices of Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, admonishing the Trump Administration’s Dear Colleague letter while outlining guidance for how educational institutions can stick with their DEI and accessibility commitments.

The letter “mischaracterizes DEI programs, stating that they ‘frequently preference certain racial groups’ and ‘stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes.’ On the contrary, practices and programming that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility confer important educational and social benefits for students,” said Healey’s letter.

The Trump Administration advised further legal guidance will follow in due course, yet concrete information regarding policy and funding restrictions have yet to be released.

“UMass Chan is fully committed to following the letter and spirit of the law while also ensuring that our campus community continues to respect, value and benefit from the richness of our varied experiences, perspectives and cultures,” said the UMass Chan memo.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.