Chief diversity officer positions at major universities primarily go to black males and females, according to a College Fix analysis.
Though black females are only six percent of the population, they obtained about 55 percent of top diversity officer roles among the country’s top 50 colleges and universities. The Fix compiled its list using the U.S. News and World Report rankings of national universities.
The Fix used photos, names, and other public biographical information to determine the race and sex for the diversity officers. The Fix compiled its data from the highest-ranking diversity officer for the general university or undergraduate population, and not for specific departments or schools within universities.
Some diversity officers are mixed race and the results are a best estimate.
While black Americans are only 13 percent of the population, they were 80 percent of the highest-ranking diversity officials. Meanwhile, Latinos were only six percent, despite being 19 percent of the population. Asians were only two percent, despite being seven percent of the U.S. White people did not fare well, also only getting about two percent of the top roles.
The uneven distribution would appear to violate Professor Ibram Kendi’s “antiracism” theory, which states that racial distribution must be perfectly even, although discrimination against white people is acceptable, according to him.
The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education endorses the idea of statistical racial equity and “antiracism. It did not respond to multiple requests for comment in the past month.
The College Fix asked if NADOHE was aware of the low representation of Hispanic and Asian diversity officers. The Fix also asked if the organization promoted any initiatives to increase diversity among chief diversity officers. The group did not respond to two emails and a phone call left since June 24.
Males were also underrepresented – despite being roughly 50 percent of the population, they were only 34 percent of the top diversity roles.
The National Diversity Council, which works to “advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging by transforming our workplaces, communities and environments,” remained silent when asked for comment. It has not returned a phone message left in the past three weeks asking for potential solutions to underrepresentation and if it was aware of the problem.
But a higher education reform group said diversity offices should be abolished.
“The ideology that dominates most DEI offices does more harm than good on college campuses because it exacerbates divisions and causes people to self-censor rather than bringing them together and encouraging them to freely pursue the truth,” Steve McGuire told The Fix via email.
He is a former professor who now works on campus freedom issues at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.
McGuire said universities would be wise to pour the funds used on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts back into the student body.
“Colleges and universities would be much better served if they eliminated these positions and passed the savings onto students or applied the money to faculty lines or scholarships.”
