(The Center Square) — New Hampshire’s largest public university system is dismantling its diversity, equity and inclusion program for new hires and promotions, citing concerns about potential cuts in funding under a new state law.
A provision included in the two-year $15.9 billion state budget sets limits on DEI mandates in state government, public higher education and K-12 schools. The rules would also apply to municipalities and school districts, which would have to submit reports to the state by Sept. 30 identifying any DEI contracts. Under the proposal, schools that don’t comply or refuse to dismantle DEI programs could lose state funding.
“No public entity shall implement, promote, or otherwise engage in any DEl-related initiatives, programs, training, or policies,” it reads. “No state funds shall be expended for DEl-related activities, including but not limited to implicit bias training, DEI assessments, critical race theory or race-based hiring, promotion, or contracting preferences.”
In response, the University of New Hampshire announced that the sprawling campus system will no longer consider diversity in hiring and promotion decisions and will be compiling a list of DEI contracts to comply with the new law.
UNH President Elizabeth Chilton said in a letter to faculty and staff that an ongoing review of the university’s DEI policies haven’t revealed any conflicts with the new law, but said “the risk of significant financial penalties require us to take proactive steps to mitigate uncertainty.” She noted that New Hampshire has for years prohibited preferential treatment based on race and other protected characteristics in public-sector employment and university admissions.
“UNH remains fully committed to providing educational access and opportunity, and to fostering a learning and working environment where all members of our community feel that they belong and can succeed,” Chilton wrote. “However, the new law requires us to reexamine how we pursue these goals within its parameters.”
Republicans who tucked the provision into the budget, signed last week by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, said the restrictions were necessary to prevent a loss of federal funding, with President Donald Trump cracking down on DEI initiatives and targeting states that don’t comply.
Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to withhold federal funding from schools over “radical indoctrination” in classrooms. The Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Education Department told districts they could be subject to investigation for any policies that consider race or proxies for race.
The order said under DEI policies, “innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics.” In contrast, others are “made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed.”
“These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity,” Trump wrote in the order.
Democrats objected to the move and defended DEI policies, saying that they help institutions serve diverse populations and address systemic inequality in government and public schools. They said it would result in legal challenges that would cost the state’s taxpayers money to defend.
New Hampshire is one of several states — including Florida, Alabama and Arkansas — that have taken steps to ban or restrict DEI programs in public schools, colleges and universities in response to Trump’s order.
