US Dept. of Education investigating Duke as part of sweeping anti-DEI changes under Trump
The U.S. Department of Education announced Friday it has opened an investigation into Duke University for allegedly violating federal nondiscrimination law, the result of a sweeping expansion of anti-affirmative action policy that the department’s Office of Civil Rights issued last month.
Duke is one of 45 universities around the country now being investigated for allegedly violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in programs receiving federal funding.
The universities are specifically being investigated over their partnerships with The PhD Project, a national nonprofit that supports students seeking graduate degrees in business. In a news release, the Department of Education alleged that the organization “limits eligibility based on the race of participants,” though the nonprofit says it has broadened its reach in recent months.
The investigations come a month after the Office of Civil Rights issued a letter that significantly expanded the existing interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of affirmative action in college admissions in 2023. That decision, which specifically ruled unconstitutional the admissions policies of UNC-Chapel Hill and Harvard University but became law nationwide, applied only to the use of race in admissions.
But in a Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter, a top Office of Civil Rights official warned the nation’s colleges and universities that the Department of Education would now expand the Supreme Court’s decision by banning the use or consideration of race in hiring, financial aid, scholarships, housing, graduation ceremonies and other facets of campus operations.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, a North Carolina native, said in a statement. “We will not yield on this commitment.”
The Office of Civil Rights also announced Friday that it is investigating six universities for “allegedly awarding impermissible race-based scholarships,” while another university is under investigation for “allegedly administering a program that segregates students on the basis of race.”
If Duke or any other university is found to have violated Title VI, it could lose federal funding as a result. A Duke spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about the investigation from The News & Observer on Friday.
PhD Project partnership
The PhD Project was founded in 1994. According to an archived version of its website, the organization had an original goal of “diversifying corporate America by diversifying the role models in the front of classrooms.”
As recently as January, the organization described its work as supporting “historically underrepresented students” and “building a stronger, more diverse workforce.”
But in recent months, it appears to have removed most — if not all — of the references to diversity and related ideas that its website previously included. For example, its homepage now says it is “enriching education for all” and that it wants to increase “the number of brilliant educators from all communities.”
In a statement to The N&O, The PhD Project said it has expanded its membership, but remains committed to its mission.
“Our vision is to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other, through networking, mentorship, and unique events. This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision,” the organization’s statement read. “The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms, which remains our goal today.”
It is unclear how, or if, the rewording and new focus will impact the new investigations into universities that partner with the organization.
A Duke spokesperson did not respond to a request for information about how the university works with the PhD Project. But according to the organization’s website, when a university partners with The PhD Project, campus officials are allowed to post job openings for the project’s faculty and student members to see. Membership also allows university officials to attend the project’s conferences, among other benefits.
Friday morning, a list of partner universities on the organization’s website showed several North Carolina schools, including N.C. State University, Western Carolina University and UNC Greensboro. But of those, only Duke is being investigated, making it unclear whether the list was outdated or if the other universities had ended their partnerships.
Spokespeople for UNC Greensboro did not respond to The N&O’s request for information, while a spokesperson for Western Carolina said she did not have enough information to comment. A spokesperson for NC State was working on The N&O’s request but had not provided the information at the time of publication.
The list of participating universities had been removed from the PhD Project’s website by Friday afternoon.
UNC also under Title VI investigation
With Friday’s announcement, Duke joins another Triangle university in being accused of violating Title VI — and in receiving public warnings from President Donald Trump’s administration about the ongoing investigations.
On Monday, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights sent letters to 60 universities around the country that are under investigation for allegedly violating Jewish students’ rights on campus. The letters, which came after the Office of Civil Rights vowed to tackle a “backlog” of complaints alleging antisemitic behavior and harassment on campuses, reiterated that the universities could lose federal funding if they are found to be in violation of Title VI.
“U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers,” McMahon said in a statement. “That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”
One such letter was sent to the University of North Carolina, though it did not specify the UNC System or UNC-Chapel Hill.
The letter was addressed to Peter Hans, who is the president of the UNC System. But it appears to be tied to an open Title VI investigation specifically against UNC-Chapel Hill, which is one of 17 campuses in the public university system. While Hans oversees the system, he does not manage its individual universities — a task left to campus chancellors.
UNC System spokesperson Andy Wallace declined to comment on the letter.
On a Department of Education website containing records related to open Title VI investigations for alleged discrimination involving shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, there are two investigations listed for the state of North Carolina.
One complaint, listed under a category for UNC-Chapel Hill, pertains to alleged discrimination against Palestinian students. The other also pertains to UNC-Chapel Hill, but alleges a pattern of antisemitism on campus and is listed under “University of North Carolina” — a separate category on the education department’s list of investigations.
The latter complaint, filed by attorney and North Carolina resident David Weisberg in late 2023, references two incidents at UNC to back claims of unlawful discrimination against Jewish students. One involved statements made during a panel on Palestine, while the other involved an assistant professor’s comments to students about Israel.
In a statement to The N&O, UNC-Chapel Hill spokesperson Kevin Best said the university has “fully cooperated” with the open investigation and “is awaiting additional feedback.”
“We are committed to promoting a safe and equitable environment for all members of the Carolina community that is free from harassment and discrimination,” Best said.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 3:44 PM with the headline "US Dept. of Education investigating Duke as part of sweeping anti-DEI changes under Trump."
