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CV NEWS FEED // The Department of Education (DoE) announced Friday it is investigating 45 universities for race-based “illegal discrimination” in academic and scholarship programs, following a February directive urging universities to abandon racial preferences.
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.”
The investigation focuses on universities’ partnerships with “The Ph.D. Project,” an organization that the DoE alleges limits eligibility based on race, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Among the dozens of institutions under scrutiny are prominent names such as Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, and University of Notre Dame.
The enforcement stems from a “dear colleague” letter issued Feb. 14 to universities, which explicitly instructed universities to end the use of racial preferences in all aspects of academic life, including admissions, hiring, and scholarships.
The letter threatened to cut federal funding from universities not in compliance.
McMahon, who was confirmed March 4, has made it clear that her priority is to eliminate political ideologies and discriminatory practices from education institutions.
“American education…ought not to be corrupted by political ideologies, special interests, and unjust discrimination. Parents, teachers, and students alike deserve better,” McMahon said shortly after being sworn in.
Since then, McMahon has made significant changes, including the reassertion of Title IX’s original definition of sex as biological male or female which reversed the Biden administration’s broad interpretation that favored “transgender” rights.
Just last week, the DoE withdrew $400 million in grants from Columbia University due to its failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitism following the Oct. 2023 Hamas attacks.
The department will also examine six universities for “impermissible race-based scholarships” and one for allegedly running a racially segregated program.
“It’s time to focus on what matters: ensuring our students are learning what they need to be successful,” McMahon said in a social post Thursday.
