Review: Georgia colleges not fully complying with ban on diversity statements in hiring

This story has been updated.

Georgia’s public colleges and universities have more work to do to comply with policies that prohibit the use of diversity statements or ideological tests in employee recruitment and mandatory training.

That’s the finding of a new review that looks at freedom of expression and academic freedom issues within the University System of Georgia and its 26 schools. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a copy of the internal review. The report was discussed briefly by University System administrators at Wednesday’s Georgia Board of Regents (BOR) meeting with no questions or comments from the board.

Just over a year ago, the University System told schools they can no longer ask job candidates , including those applying for professor posts, to submit statements that detail their understanding of diversity and how they would promote it. Colleges also were ordered to stop any mandatory employee training that includes diversity statements or ideological tests.

The Board of Regents, appointed by the governor to oversee the University System, last year approved a statement of principles to “affirm and protect academic freedom and freedom of expression.” The updates to the human resources policies are a result of that work.

The policy changes prompted schools such as Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia to review their recruitment procedures and employee training ahead of an October 2023 compliance deadline. University System Chancellor Sonny Perdue had told the Board of Regents months ago that officials would conduct an internal review to gauge how well colleges have followed the new rules.

Perdue said during Wednesday’s meeting he’s pleased with how campuses have responded.

“I think they are doing their best to comply with the wishes of the board,” he told the board. “Obviously, policy changes always have some things that we need to continue to do better on, and we will do better.”

The prohibitions come amid growing political pushback to diversity, equity and inclusion (or DEI) efforts on college campuses and in K-12 schools in Georgia and across the nation.

It’s become a popular practice for colleges to ask candidates to include one-to-two page diversity statements with their job applications. Supporters say it helps colleges learn how a professor would assist students from diverse backgrounds. But critics argue such statements violate academic freedom by amounting to a political litmus test.

The review found that schools have “taken significant steps toward complying” with the revised policies. But the review also “identified some areas where work continues, and opportunities exist for further improvement.” Notably, most schools had not adequately scrubbed references to ideological tests, such as diversity statements, from all their job postings. At more than 20 schools, the reviewers found “one or more instances of language which may not fully conform,” the report stated.

The review did not identify schools that weren’t in full compliance with the rules, but stated that colleges were provided with copies of specific observations.

Ted Beck, the University System’s assistant vice chancellor for internal audit, told the board that in most cases, the review found “just a handful of postings with language that we suggested could benefit from additional review.”

He added: “The vast majority of job postings that we examined complied with expectations.”

The review also found that the vast majority of schools weren’t using a standardized template for job postings or weren’t including required language in their job ads. Without a standard template, there can be “inconsistent” or “conflicting” information, the review noted.

At a handful of schools, those in charge of hiring didn’t know about the updated rules, the report found. Some schools lacked a formal process for the president and head of human resources to approve all mandated training or hadn’t updated their training to comply with the ideological test ban.

The review makes several recommendations, including that colleges review and revise their training materials, use standard job posting templates and provide more guidance to hiring managers on how to screen and select candidates.

The United Campus Workers of Georgia , a group representing more than 1,000 University System employees at multiple schools, told the AJC in a statement that dissolving campus DEI efforts “is a short-sighted and damaging decision.”

“Championing a diverse and representative workforce does not undermine merit but rather strengthens it by incorporating a variety of perspectives with intentionality, which is key to upholding the intellectual wealth and rigor of our campuses,” the statement said. “We advocate for enhancing creativity and productivity through diversity, ensuring equitable access to opportunities, and fostering a sense of belonging. The BOR should recognize the power and importance of these values as well.”

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