While the University of Wisconsin-Madison reaffirmed its commitment to diversity, university leaders said Friday they have an “indisputable responsibility to comply with the law” and will reassess current campus activities to comply with a federal decision targeting race-based programs that began enforcement today.
In a letter to the UW-Madison community, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and Provost Charles Isbell Jr. called the U.S. Department of Education directive “tremendously expansive” and operating on uncertain legal territory — though they said the university must adhere to the law. The university said affected campus units would likely be updated next week.
University leaders also said they were conducting financial modeling to understand the potential impact of recent federal decisions on campus.
In the past month, President Donald Trump’s executive orders and related agency directives have put federal funding for the university in the crosshairs, making continued federal funding — which comprises a quarter of the university’s budget — contingent on the university ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) activities, “environmental justice” research and race-based programs.
While a Maryland court granted a preliminary injunction against the executive order seeking an end to DEI and environmental justice research, the enforcement of the Department of Education’s directive to eliminate race-based programs began today. Agency officials warned schools they risk losing federal funding if they continue taking race into account when making “financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming decisions.”
A workgroup will assess existing operations and make recommendations on what “potential adjustments, modifications and changes” may be required, with affected campus units updated next week, university leaders said.
UW-Madison currently awards diversity-based scholarships and has various campus resources that “may have race-related themes as long as they welcome all students.” University spokespeople previously told The Daily Cardinal they would share more information on which scholarships or organizations would be impacted once they have additional guidance.
Federal decisions broad and unclear, university leaders say
In the Friday letter, the university said the Department of Education’s lack of guidance forced them to operate “with incomplete information” and underlined the executive orders targeting DEI and “environmental justice research” didn’t define either of them.
UW-Madison also contributed information to a lawsuit challenging the National Institutes of Health (NIH) decision to cap indirect cost rates at 15%, which the lawsuit argued was an “arbitrary and capricious change.”
These federal decisions are happening with “speed and breadth,” the letter said, adding they have the potential to significantly disrupt university activities and operations.
“There are ongoing cuts and cancellations at several funding agencies, most notably, NOAA, USAID, USDA and the Department of Education, as well as personnel reductions at NSF and NIH, and other agencies,” university leaders said. “These actions could not only result in contract cancellations that could impact UW–Madison’s ability to propose new research and carry out existing projects but also pose significant risk to our nation’s historic strength in scientific research.”
University leaders said these actions create potential conflict with long-held values such as “evidence-based research, academic freedom, pluralism, diversity of identity and viewpoint [and] support for our community and nondiscrimination.”
However, the university said it would continue its mission of upholding the Wisconsin Idea — a university principle which signifies an institutional commitment to public service and spreading knowledge beyond the classroom.
“As we respond to these directives and challenges, we are, and will continue to be, guided by our commitment to our mission of excellence in teaching, research and service as well as to our commitment to the values that help support that excellence,” university leaders said. “These include the recognition that diversity – both diversity of identity and intellectual diversity – makes us stronger; our deep and abiding commitment to academic freedom; and the belief that we have a shared responsibility to support all members of our community to reach their full potential.”
Gavin Escott is the campus news editor for the Daily Cardinal. He has covered protests, breaking news and written in-depth on Wisconsin politics and higher education. He is the former producer of the Cardinal Call podcast. Follow him on X at @gav_escott.
