The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shut down its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office, according to reports.
The news comes amid the Trump administration canceling grants to universities that employ DEI programs and have failed to sufficiently police on-campus anti-Israel protests.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth officially closed the Community and Equity Office last week, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
Kornbluth previously prohibited the use of diversity statements in faculty hiring or student admissions, the newspaper said. Also, a senior administrative position at the school will be eliminated as part of a return to a merit-based focus.
“MIT is in the talent business. Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive,” Kornbluth said in a statement to the Post shared by an MIT rep.
MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was among more than 50 universities being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of Trump’s campaign to end DEI programs, CBS News reported.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. “We will not yield on this commitment.”
MIT has joined court challenges to the administration’s reductions to National Institute of Health (NIH) and Department of Energy grants for medical and scientific research, the Post reported.
The school recently revealed the grant cuts had cost MIT up to $35 million and forced it to reduce the number of available places for graduate students in its 2025-26 by 8%.
Kornbluth was one of three university presidents who testified before the House in December 2023 about antisemitic on-campus protests and actions against Jewish individuals.
The House later passed a resolution rebuking testimony from Kornbluth, then-Harvard University President Claudine Gay and then-University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill.
In recent weeks, Trump has piled unprecedented pressure on Harvard, seeking to ban the university from having foreign students, shredding its contracts with the federal government, slashing its multibillion-dollar grants, and challenging its tax-free status.
Harvard is challenging all of the measures in court.
AFP contributed to this story.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
