University Accreditor Announces It Will Pause Leftist Racial Discrimination
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) announced Tuesday it has temporarily paused its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) while it reviews its standards to comply with President Donald…
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) announced Tuesday it has temporarily paused its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) while it reviews its standards to comply with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order.
Trump’s April order barred accreditors from “compelling adoption of discriminatory ideology” such as DEI commitments for higher Education institutions, while labeling accreditors the “gatekeepers” that control which schools can receive federal funding. The accreditor is now “launching a review” into its DEI standards but maintains its “commitment to success for every student.”
WASC’s most recent standards established in 2023 state that a school must promote “the success of all students and explicit its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion” in order to be eligible for accreditation. The accreditor’s commission previously considered updating its standards in December to remove language requiring universities to commit to DEI but quickly backtracked, blaming feedback from its membership and “interested organizations.”
WASC’s previous proposal