UT plans to lay off dozens of employees who previously held DEI-related positions at the university as part of the fallout from the statewide DEI ban. Students and staff were told on Tuesday the Division of Campus and Community Engagement would be closed.
President Jay Hartzell wrote in a letter to the UT community, 'We will continue to operate many programs with rich histories spanning decades, such as disability services, University Interscholastic League, the UT charter schools and volunteer programs.' Texas Exes will host multiple cultural graduation celebrations for UT students following DEI ban. Hartzell's letter also states that funding used to support DEI programs across campus before SB 17 went into effect will be redeployed to support teaching and research. Assistant or associate deans formerly focused on DEI will also return to their full-time positions