U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said during a White House roundtable on Wednesday that progressive ideologies promoted through diversity, equity and inclusion programs have “turned universities from free markets of ideas to assembly lines of ideological conformity.”
“The average American student faces relentless attacks in every aspect of their collegiate life if they disagree with DEI or any of the latest ideological fads,” McMahon said.
The roundtable, titled “Biased Professors, Woke Administrators and the End of Free Inquiry on U.S. Campuses,” brought together university leaders, think tank professionals, and education advocates to discuss the need for reforms to address the far-left ideological capture of American universities.
“Recently, students have faced violence from ‘peaceful protesters’—particularly the antisemitic activists who turned campuses into battlegrounds after the Oct. 7 terror attacks,” McMahon said.
“Meanwhile, school administrators and faculty either stood by or actively joined the chaos,” the education secretary added.
In February, the U.S. Department of Education sent out a guidance document to universities throughout the country to “restore fairness and meritocracy by complying with federal law on campuses nationwide,” McMahon said. She then cited a Chronicle of Higher Education report showing that more than 400 institutions in 47 states have since made substantive changes to their DEI policies.
“By dismantling these burdensome and illegal administrative offices, universities across the country are saving hundreds of millions of dollars,” McMahon said. “More importantly, they are freeing their students from living by lies.”
