State Dept. memo says Penn shows 'no evidence of DEI' in hiring, reaffirms research partnership

As the State Department prepares to suspend 38 universities from a research partnership program for using diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in their hiring, Penn was named among the institutions that the federal government will continue to support.

According to an internal memo obtained by The Guardian, the State Department will suspend the universities from participating in their Diplomacy Lab program — which partners academic teams with department-identified research areas — because they “openly engage in DEI hiring practices." Of the universities recommended to remain in the program, many — including Penn — reached settlements with the Trump administration earlier this year.

A spreadsheet accompanying the memo evaluated universities on a four-point scale, with red-marked universities showing “clear DEI hiring policy” and green universities demonstrating “merit-based hiring with no evidence of DEI.” Penn was marked in green, according to The Guardian.

"The Trump Administration is very clear about its stance on DEI," a state department spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian. "The State Department is reviewing all programs to ensure that they are in line with the President’s agenda." 

Penn engaged in a widespread rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and references earlier this year — including scrubbing staff titles and renaming the former Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

In June, Penn reached an agreement with the federal government to settle a Title IX investigation stemming from the University’s decision to allow 2022 College graduate and transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete on the University’s women’s swimming and diving team during the 2021-22 season. 

Among the other schools recommended to remain in the program are Columbia University, which reached a settlement with the White House in July to settle a civil rights investigation, and the University of Virginia, which came under fire from the Trump administration for allegedly using affirmative action in their admissions practices. 

Other Ivy League schools were among those marked for suspension from the program — namely Harvard University, which has clashed with the Trump administration over academic freedom, research funding, and international student enrollment.

If the proposed suspensions go through, the federal government would instead partner with institutions including Liberty University, Brigham Young University, and other schools across Missouri and Texas.