MIT abolishes new hire diversity statements

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is reportedly eliminating a requirement for diversity statements for new hires, marking a significant shift in college institutions that had previously embraced diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives advocated by Democrats and the Biden administration.

The need for diversity statements was seen as a potential political test for hiring, but MIT has decided to remove this requirement, as reported by Unherd on Sunday.

“Requests for a statement on diversity will no longer be part of applications for any faculty positions at MIT,” stated an MIT spokesperson in an email to Unherd, noting that MIT President Sally Kornbluth, with the support of the Provost, Chancellor, and all six academic deans, has made this policy change.

While DEI programs have been promoted by Democrats and the Biden administration, conservatives have criticized them as racially biased.

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis often denounced DEI as a cover for “division, exclusivity, and inequality,” emphasizing that what may have started with good intentions had negative consequences in practice.

As recently as late 2023, MIT required a diversity statement for an assistant professor position in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, according to the report.

“We can foster inclusivity in various ways, but mandated statements infringe on freedom of expression and are not effective,” Kornbluth stated in a message to Unherd.

The insistence on DEI statements has undermined the original purpose of the initiative, as noted by Randall Kennedy from Harvard Law School.

“Many academics at Harvard and beyond increasingly resent the DEI enterprise, particularly due to the demand for DEI statements,”Kennedy wrote in The Harvard Crimson student newspaper last month.