Western Accreditor Officially Drops DEI Standards

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission has formally adopted updated accreditation standards that eliminate all mention of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Western accreditor began considering such a change last December, following President Trump’s re-election, then decided against dropping the language. But in May they launched a review of the DEI standards, temporarily putting them on hold.

Following a public comment period, the commission accepted the recommendations of the standards review group to accept the revisions to the 2023 standards, beginning this week.

DEI language has been removed in four areas, according to a side-by-side comparison of the “existing” and “refined” standards.

For instance, the first standard, “Defining Institutional Mission and Acting with Integrity,” used to say an institution “promotes the success of all students and makes explicit its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” In the updated version, it simply “promotes institutional excellence and success for all students.”

Standard 3, “Assuring Resources and Organizational Structures,” previously said, “The institution achieves its educational and student success objectives through investments in human, physical, fiscal, technology, and information resources within appropriate organizational and decision-making structures, and consistent with its explicit commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Now it says, “The institution achieves its objectives for educational excellence and success for all students through investments in human, physical, fiscal, technology, and information resources within appropriate organizational and decision-making structures.”

Accrediting agencies have been under pressure since Trump issued an executive order in April directing them to end DEI requirements for colleges. Others—including the American Bar Association and the New England Commission of Higher Education—have also suspended or are considering dropping their DEI standards.