University System of Georgia schools can no longer require job applicants to submit diversity statements, according to employee recruitment policies issued in July.
The changes emerged from a statement of principles made in May by the Board of Regents regarding freedom of expression and academic freedom expressing the need for recruitment processes to be absent of “ideological tests, affirmations and oaths” and for “Hiring, promotion, or tenure decision to be purely based on the University’s ability to achieve its mission and strategic priorities in support of student success.”
Such diversity statements, typically one to two-page documents in which an applicant details their understanding of and commitment to advancing diversity, have become increasingly commonplace in faculty searches, though other public university systems, such as Arizona’s, have removed statement requirements from job listings.
Efforts to rein in spending on diversity and inclusion efforts within USG have been investigated by Chancellor Sonny Perdue, who produced a report this summer detailing the millions of dollars spent on DEI salaries and programs after Lt. Gov. Burt Jones voiced concern over how much such efforts cost Georgia’s 26 public colleges and universities.
Two-thirds of University System instructional faculty members are white, compared to 45% of all students, according to fall 2022 data.
