UC Berkeley cuts ties with nonprofit focused on diversity amid Trump administration pressure

February 21, 2026 - 05:12

The University of California, Berkeley, has ended its longstanding partnership with The PhD Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in business school faculty. This move places Berkeley among 31 academic institutions that have recently cut ties with the group, actions reportedly taken under pressure from the Trump administration.

The Department of Education has been scrutinizing such partnerships, arguing that certain diversity-focused programs may violate federal civil rights law. This stance has compelled numerous universities to reassess and, in many cases, terminate affiliations to avoid potential legal challenges or the loss of federal funding.

The PhD Project, founded in 1994, works to support Black, Hispanic, and Native American professionals in pursuing doctoral degrees and academic careers in business. For decades, its corporate-university network has been instrumental in helping to place underrepresented scholars into faculty positions across the country.

University officials have not provided detailed public comment on the specific decision. However, the broader wave of disaffiliations highlights the growing tension between institutional diversity initiatives and federal enforcement priorities. The retreat of major universities from this program marks a significant shift, potentially impacting the pipeline for diverse scholars in academia for years to come.