Business school accreditor removes DEI standards

The primary business school accrediting body has cut diversity, equity and inclusion from its reporting standards amid federal attacks on DEI, according to The Financial Times. 

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business replaced the words “diversity and inclusion” with “community and connectedness” and eliminated a dozen other references to those terms in its document of guiding principles for schools.

In a memo sent to member institutions, the organization said the change reflected “the current legal and political environment surrounding higher education” and that DEI had become “politicised.” They also said they wanted to “proactively mitigate risks for our members and strengthen the organisation’s long-term stability” in the face of intensifying attacks on diversity initiatives and threats from the Education Department to pull federal funding from institutions that don’t comply with sweeping anti-DEI orders. 

The AACSB is the latest in a string of accreditors that have removed or relaxed their DEI standards. The American Bar Association, which accredits law schools, suspended its DEI requirements last month, and many broader higher education accrediting organizations are offering schools more flexibility on compliance with diversity-related guidelines.