Kamal Ghorui
A dispute over budget language in Louisiana has expanded into a broader test of how diversity efforts in higher education are defined under federal civil rights law.Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate every public college in the state to identify diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that he argues amount to discrimination. According to Higher Ed Dive, Landry urged federal officials to expand an existing civil rights probe into the Louisiana Board of Regents and extend it statewide.The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights earlier this month launched an investigation into the Louisiana Board of Regents. The inquiry centers on language in the board’s fiscal 2026 budget that references a goal of increasing the number of graduates from underrepresented racial minorities. The board defined that group as excluding White and Asian students. Its fiscal 2022 budget used similar language.Under President Donald Trump, the department is examining whether such phrasing could violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits institutions receiving federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin.In a February 13 statement reported by Higher Ed Dive, Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, said the board’s objective to prioritize recruitment and graduation efforts for “all races other than white [and] Asian” appeared to violate federal antidiscrimination law.
A broader federal alignment
In a letter to federal officials, Landry signaled that he welcomed a wider review. According to Higher Ed Dive, he wrote that diversity, equity and inclusion policies had no place in Louisiana and that the state would assist in rooting out what he described as remnants of those practices.On social media, Landry stated that if there were violations of federal law anywhere in the system, the state wanted them corrected. He also framed the effort as a departure from the policies of his predecessor, John Bel Edwards, whose term ended in 2024.Louisiana does not currently have a state law banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education. Lawmakers have introduced such bills in recent years, but none have been enacted. The present effort relies instead on federal oversight and the interpretation of Title VI.
Institutional response and compliance
The Louisiana Board of Regents oversees the state’s three public university systems and its community college system. The outcome of the federal investigation could affect policy language across those institutions.Louisiana State University President Wade Rousse said in a statement on Monday that the system intends to comply with all state and federal laws and is prepared to cooperate with the expanded investigation, according to Higher Ed Dive.The dispute reflects a broader national shift. In several conservative led states, lawmakers have enacted restrictions on diversity related programming in higher education. In Louisiana, the debate is unfolding through administrative channels rather than through new state legislation.At issue is how institutions articulate goals related to student representation and graduation rates. The federal inquiry will test whether efforts to increase enrollment and completion among certain racial groups can coexist with Title VI’s prohibition on race based discrimination.The outcome will not only determine the future of specific budget language. It will also shape how public colleges in Louisiana frame equity goals in a regulatory environment that has become more exacting.
