Major Public University System Reportedly Shelled Out Tens Of Millions On DEI-Related Staffers

The University of North Carolina (UNC) system spent roughly $70 million paying employees working on its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, according to a report produced by Open The Books.

Across the 16 colleges and universities in the UNC system, Open The Books identified 686 staffers working to some degree on the university system’s DEI initiatives. UNC employed 288 people for explicitly DEI-related roles while 398 of its employees were members of DEI committees, DEI councils or other similar bodies.

An additional 80 students worked for the university in primarily volunteer DEI roles, according to Open The Books.

Some of UNC’s DEI employees take home especially large compensation packages. UNC-Chapel Hill chief diversity officer Leah Cox, for instance, is paid $317,538 per year, according to Open The Books. Sheri Schwab, the vice provost for institutional equity and diversity at North Carolina State University, on the other hand, has a salary of $232,964.

UNC-Chapel Hill alone pays almost $30 million in salaries to DEI employees, with North Carolina State spending $16.4 million, according to Open The Books. The total estimated cost per year for in-state students at UNC-Chapel Hill is $27,036, meaning that the DEI employment budget alone could cover scholarships for roughly 1,000 students.

Open The Books’ found numerous other DEI employees taking home six-figure salaries, according to its report.

UNC did not respond to Open The Books’ record request to include information about the benefits received by its DEI employees. The organization estimates that the total cost to taxpayers rises to over $90 million when benefits are included in the compensation figures for DEI employees.