The University of Chicago is one of 45 schools under investigation by the Department of Education for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits race-based discrimination in programs receiving federal financial assistance.
The announcement alleges that the University has engaged in “race-exclusionary practices in [its] graduate programs” through its partnership with the PhD Project, an organization that works to expand diversity in business school Ph.D. programs. Booth School of Business’s Stevens Doctoral Program is included on the Project’s website as a university partner.
The PhD Project, the Department of Education’s announcement reads, “purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a Ph.D. and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants.”
In a statement to the Maroon, the PhD Project explained its mission and clarified that they currently accept applications from anyone interested in their program.
“For the last 30 years, The PhD Project has worked to expand the pool of workplace talent by developing business school faculty who inspire, mentor, and support tomorrow’s leaders. Our vision is to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other, through networking, mentorship, and unique events,” the statement read. “This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision. The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms, which remains our goal today.”
UChicago is one of 13 private universities, including Yale and Cornell, that are targets of the investigation, alongside 32 public universities.
The investigation follows a February 14 letter sent by Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor, which informed educational institutions and agencies that they had 14 days to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs or “face potential loss of federal funding.”
In the letter, Trainor wrote that universities’ “embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia.”
Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, the University has quietly removed many mentions of DEI from its websites.
In a statement, the University informed the Maroon that it had received notice of the Department of Education’s investigation.
“The University has been notified that a complaint was filed with the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and an investigation was opened. The University prohibits unlawful discrimination and will cooperate with OCR on its investigation,” the statement read.
The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story.
Editor’s note, March 14, 2025, 2 p.m.: This article has been updated to include a statement from the University.
Editor’s note, March 14, 2025, 4:15 p.m.: This article has been updated to include a statement from the PhD Project.
Luis Narciso / Mar 15, 2025 at 5:07 pm
I was dismayed to see the University of Chicago on this list.
As a Hispanic MBA alumnus who graduated over 20 years ago, I experienced a time when none of this nonsense existed at the school. The University had a well-earned reputation for academic excellence and meritocracy, which made me proud to be associated with it.
Among both students and faculty, there was a mutual respect rooted in the understanding that our peers were among the best—not just in America, but in the world. That reputation followed us long after graduation.
Had I graduated in recent years, now knowing what has become of the University, I would feel differently as people may suspect that as a minority, I was accepted for any reason other than merit. For minorities, these policies only serve to diminish the prestige of a U of C degree.
To the so-called University “leaders” who made the decision to abandon meritocracy and put a thumb on the scale—understand that all you’ve accomplished is a decline in U of C’s reputation as a bastion of logic, common sense, and the pursuit of excellence.
Alum / Mar 14, 2025 at 2:39 pm
Yes, I am a white alum and the parent of white young children. Any preferential treatment of so-called “minorities” is, in turn, the exclusion, excoriation, and discrimination of my children. Good riddance. Perhaps I’ll resume my donations.