Meeting the Moment: A Panel on Researching the Impact of Anti-DEI Action in Higher Education (Division J Vice Presidential Session)

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This panel explores the multifaceted impacts of anti-DEI action on higher education, focusing on the lived experiences of diversity officers, campus staff, and administrators. Each panelist will discuss how political attacks and institutional overcompliance have eroded longstanding values and practices of higher education. From the liminal organizational responses to legislative mandates to the community-organizing roles of campus staff, and the psychological toll on Black Chief Diversity Officers, these papers collectively underscore the systemic challenges facing DEI work. As a collective, we discuss how anti-DEI research has impacted researchers and encourage others to empirically examine the impacts of anti-DEI action. In addition, we will encourage institutional courage and a reimagining of higher education as a site of resistance and democratic renewal.

Sub Unit

• Division J - Postsecondary Education / Division J - Section 3: Organization, Management, and Leadership

Chair

• Jeffrey K. Grim, George Mason University

Papers

• Political Polarization and Institutional Betrayal A Narrative Analysis of Diversity Professionals and Anti-DEI Attacks - Kaleb L. Briscoe, University of Oklahoma

• On the Grounds: Campus Staff Efforts Amidst Anti-DEI Pressures - Katherine S. Cho, Loyola University Chicago

• Navigating Anti-CRT Legislation: Black Chief Diversity Officers' Experiences in Higher Education - O'Juan D. Edwards, Florida A&M University

• Liminality in Compliance: Organizational Responses To Anti-DEI Policy in Higher Education - Daniela Juarez, University of Chicago

Session Organizer

• Jeffrey K. Grim, George Mason University

Discussant

• Jeffrey K. Grim, George Mason University