DENVER — The University of Denver (DU) is significantly scaling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in response to new guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), according to a report by 9NEWS.
In an interview with 9NEWS, Chancellor Jeremy Haefner confirmed that DU will eliminate race-specific scholarships and suspend DEI training for staff, citing the university’s obligation to comply with recent DOJ directives issued under the Trump administration. The changes follow a July memorandum from the DOJ warning that certain DEI practices may violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
“We have deliberately taken a wait-and-see kind of approach,” Haefner told 9NEWS. “But at the end of the day, when the Department of Justice issued its memo at the end of July, we were ready to make some of these decisions to move forward.”
The memo, which has not been made publicly available in full, reportedly instructs federally funded institutions to discontinue race-based preferences and programming. Haefner said DU previously offered scholarships and received philanthropic gifts directed toward students from protected classes—programs that now appear to fall under federal scrutiny.
Although DU has not yet faced federal penalties, the Chancellor acknowledged the potential risk to federal financial aid and research funding. “We do understand the risk to federal financial aid funding, we do understand the risk to our research as well,” he said, “and we’re balancing what that means for the university while still keeping true to our values.”
The shift comes amid a broader crackdown on race-conscious policies at colleges and universities nationwide. Several institutions have already reported suspended funding or federal investigations after being deemed noncompliant with recent civil rights interpretations by the DOJ.
Despite the rollback, Haefner emphasized that DU remains committed to fostering a welcoming campus. “It’s a learning environment and a learning situation for our students to see how our university is staying true to its values while also working hard to comply with the environment it finds itself in.”
The university is continuing to review its internal policies and procedures to determine whether additional changes are needed to maintain compliance with federal law.
This story is based on original reporting by Evan Kruegel of 9NEWS. Read the full report at 9news.com
