The University of North Carolina Asheville and all campuses within the UNC System are immediately suspending all general education and major-specific requirements mandating completion of course credits related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to a Feb. 5 memo obtained by Asheville Watchdog.

The memo, signed by Andrew Tripp, UNC System senior vice president for legal affairs & general counsel, follows a Jan. 21 executive order from President Donald Trump titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”

That order prohibits program requirements related to diversity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI. UNC risks more than $1.4 billion in federal research funding if it doesn’t comply with the order, Tripp wrote.

“Accordingly, effective immediately, all general education requirements and major-specific requirements mandating completion of course credits related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, or any other topic identified in Section VII of the Equality Policy are suspended,” Tripp wrote in the memo.

On Thursday, UNCA Chancellor Kimberly van Noort sent an email to students and faculty announcing the change.

“At UNC Asheville, that means immediately suspending existing graduation requirements related to diversity intensive courses,” van Noort wrote. “I want to reassure students, particularly those graduating in May, that the University’s top priority is ensuring that this change does not impede graduation or your academic degree progress.”

Van Noort said the suspension does not prevent students from finishing course work or the teaching of DEI-related courses.

“The System directive does not impair the academic freedom of faculty within the University of North Carolina to pursue teaching, research, and service, or of our students to pursue the coursework of their choosing,” van Noort wrote.  

Students enrolled in spring 2025 courses that satisfy a DEI requirement can stay in them or withdraw without penalty, according to van Noort’s email.

“I recognize that such substantial curricular changes during the course of a semester are unprecedented and may be confusing and difficult to navigate,” van Noort stated. “It is my top priority to ensure that all UNC Asheville students have a clear path to graduation, including providing all academic student success resources available to meet program of study requirements.

“Equally,” van Noort wrote, “I want to ensure everyone in our community that we remain steadfastly committed to fostering a culture of belonging, access, and student success.”

According to Tripp’s memo, the executive order directs multiple actions by federal agencies. “Most notably for purposes of higher education, the Jan. 21 EO imposes additional requirements on federal agencies seeking to contract with third parties, including institutions of higher education, as well as those parties’ subcontractors,” Tripp said.

UNC institutions received approximately $1.4 billion in federal research dollars through contracts and grants in the  2023–24 fiscal year, Tripp wrote, making up about 62 percent of all UNC System research funds and 13 percent of the system’s annual budget. Tripp also noted  that the system received more than $600 million in federal dollars in the form of student aid and other funding.

“The risk of jeopardizing over $1.4B in critical federal research funding is simply too great to defer action,” Tripp wrote.

“The University of North Carolina leaves its indelible mark on the world through the great work of its doctors, scientists, professors, and researchers tackling seemingly insoluble problems in the fields of science, chemistry, research, and medicine, among others. Indeed, right now – at this very hour –  there are thousands of researchers in the University working to improve the health and wellbeing of everyday North Carolinians and people across the globe,” Tripp wrote. 

This story will be updated.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s local reporting is made possible by donations from the community.  To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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