UNLV being investigated by Department of Education for ties to DEI program

Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, arrives for a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / AP

The Department of Education announced an investigation into UNLV and 44 other universities this morning alleging the institutions are “engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”

The department alleged that the universities are partnered with The PhD Project, a nonprofit supporting potential business leaders from historically underrepresented groups. The Department of Education wrote that the organization “limits eligibility based on the race of participants.”

The investigation is another example of President Donald Trump’s administration cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in education.

“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” new U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote. “Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes.”

No other schools in Nevada were included in the list of universities being investigated. UNLV did not immediately respond for comment.

The announcement comes one month after the department sent a letter to colleges and universities reiterating that the administration would not tolerate DEI initiatives, writing that its proponents use it for “smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline.”

“Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor wrote in the letter.