Abstract: Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) centers support minoritized groups, promote equitable policies, and foster inclusive campus climates in higher education. However, recent literature says little about the prevalence and predictors of DEI centers at U.S. colleges and universities, especially in light of recent anti-DEI activism. Drawing on a comprehensive database of 1,756 four-year, notfor-profit U.S. colleges and universities, our study first shows that most U.S. colleges and universities (55%) hosted DEI centers as of summer 2024. Binary logistic regression analysis then demonstrates that colleges and universities that are located in Democratic-leaning states and counties, have larger student bodies, and have higher percentages of women students exhibit significantly higher odds of maintaining DEI centers. Schools that are located in states and counties with higher percentages of persons of color, as well as schools that are designated by the government as “minority-serving institutions,” exhibit lower odds of maintaining DEI centers. This study offers the most extensive analysis to date of the presence of DEI centers in U.S. higher education institutions and underscores enduring structural barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.
Coley et al. (Thu,) studied this question.