UNL Has Shutdown Its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, as Part of Budget Cuts

Front gate to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus. (Jeff Motz/KFOR News)

LINCOLN–(KFOR Aug. 20)–The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has closed it’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Chancellor Rodney Bennett announced it in a letter to students on Tuesday, saying a centralized approach to this work is no longer right for the school. The position of Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion is also being cut. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was originally created in 2018. The existing Diversity Advisory Board, comprised of external stakeholders, will be elevated and serve as the Chancellor’s Advisory Board on Community and Belonging.

Last November, Bennett proposed budget cuts totaling $12 million, which is part of the NU system’s $58 million shortfall projected over the next two years. One major proposal would’ve cut $800,000 from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and restructure it from a central hub for DEI to a role primarily supporting university-wide priorities or initiatives.