UVA Business School Suspends DEI-Related Partnerships Amid Political Pressure

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business suspended its partnerships with several organizations dedicated to increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups in business schools amid persistent calls from the White House to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in order to maintain federal funding.

The decision was “part of a broader review of policies, programs and practices across the University of Virginia,” UVA Darden spokesperson McGregor McCance wrote in a statement.

UVA Darden suspended a three-decade long partnership with the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, which aims to increase Black, Native American and Hispanic representation in business schools, and a two-decade long connection to the Forté Foundation, which advocates for more women in business education. The school also suspended its ties with Reaching Out MBA, which offers scholarships and networking opportunities for LGBTQ+ students, and Management Leadership for Tomorrow, which focuses on expanding economic mobility and building better workplaces.

The Trump administration has been targeting DEI programs at educational institutions, alleging they constitute a form of racial discrimination. In a letter sent to schools in February, the Department of Education threatened institutions that failed to comply with the loss of federal funding. And recently, the administration has followed through on those threats.

UVA is being investigated by the Department of Justice over its DEI policies, which may result in the termination of federal funds, according to a June 16 letter sent to the head of UVA’s board. The probe prompted University of Virginia President James Ryan to resign last month.

The US investigation has expanded to include UVA’s business school after America First Legal, a nonprofit law firm founded by Stephen Miller, the current White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, sent a letter to the Department of Justice, raising concerns about UVA Darden’s partnerships with Reaching Out MBA and the Consortium for Graduate Study. The letter alleges that external partnerships and scholarships based on “impermissible characteristics” violated President Donald Trump’s executive orders from January that ban DEI in the federal government and for federal contractors.

In response to a changing political climate, a number of schools have shuttered DEI programs they once championed. The University of Michigan announced in late March that it would close its DEI office and re-evaluate some of its initiatives to ensure compliance with federal policies. The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business remains a Consortium partner and a Forté Foundation member school, a school spokesperson said.

The University of North Carolina System repealed its DEI policy in May 2024, following a vote by its board of governors. UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School also remains a Consortium partner and member school of the Forté Foundation, a spokesperson confirmed.

UVA Darden currently ranks 51st in diversity, according to Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2024-2025 US MBA program diversity index, which surveyed 76 schools. About 77% of its students are white, 11% are Asian, and about 5% are Black and 5% are Hispanic.