Plans for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are pending at Emporia State University.
The DEI information page at the university’s website, emporia.edu, went dark earlier this month and now rolls back to the home page. Emporia State initially sent questions to the Kansas Board of Regents, and President/CEO Blake Flanders says this is part of conversations across the state. In a brief statement, Flanders said, “As requirements to receive federal funding have changed, the Board office has advised the state universities to evaluate current practices and make necessary adjustments.”
Emporia State has now issued its own statement: “Emporia State leaders, in coordination with the Kansas Board of Regents, are studying our current practices and determining what adjustments are needed.”
This reflects ongoing action at the federal level to remove any references to diversity, equity and inclusion, whether for the federal government or for entities receiving federal funds. At ESU, it follows a series of investments developed since the Framework for Workforce Management was approved by the Board of Regents in 2022, including doubling the size of the summer BRIDGE program for first-generation and low-income students or students of color, increasing stipends for student Diversity Ambassadors and creating the Roger and Carla Smith Intercultural Center that went live this past November.
ESU made its first staff hire for the department in January 2016.
Flint Hills Technical College has not had an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
