U.S. President Donald Trump signed seven executive orders Wednesday, many of which target higher education and K-12 schools.
One order Trump signed Wednesday directs the U.S. education department to punish university accreditors that require colleges and universities to engage in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Another order called for the education secretary and attorney general to enforce foreign funding disclosure for higher education institutions and hold non-compliant schools accountable.
Wednesday’s orders are the most recent in a series of federal actions aimed at shifting the U.S. education system, the Associated Press reported.
Education secretary Linda McMahon wrote in a news release Wednesday that the accreditation-focused order would expedite new accreditors’ recognition and help current accreditors focus on their member institutions.
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Accrediting agencies are private organizations that set their own evaluation criteria and assess whether institutions meet them. The education department recognizes accrediting agencies that meet federal standards, according to its website. Only students who attend recognized, accredited institutions qualify for federal financial aid.
The University of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which requires universities to implement policies, programs or services to “promote diversity, equity and inclusion,” according to the commission’s website. Reflection on diversity, equity and inclusion is one of the five principles that guide the commission’s analysis of universities, its website said.
“American students and taxpayers deserve better, and my Administration will reform our dysfunctional accreditation system so that colleges and universities focus on delivering high-quality academic programs at a reasonable price,” Trump’s executive order reforming accreditation read. “Federal recognition will not be provided to accreditors engaging in unlawful discrimination in violation of Federal law.”
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This university declined to comment on Trump’s most recent executive orders.
University president Darryll Pines told The Diamondback Wednesday that this university’s values and commitment to diversity will not change.
Trump also signed two orders on Wednesday that order K-12 schools to remove diversity, equity and inclusion-based initiatives from disciplinary decisions.
Other orders signed Wednesday will create a federal task force to incorporate artificial intelligence skills into education, establish an initiative to promote private-sector partnerships and workforce preparation in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
