Resolution on the Use of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Language at Rutgers-New Brunswick

Adopted at the March 13, 2026, NBFC meeting

WHEREAS Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and its New Brunswick campus are among the most diverse higher education communities in the United States and serve as a vital engine of educational opportunity and social mobility for students from across New Jersey, the nation, and the world; and

WHEREAS offices, programs, committees, and initiatives providing essential support for the recruitment, retention, and success of students, faculty, and staff from a wide range of backgrounds have made fruitful use of concepts and terms associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”); and

WHEREAS these concepts and terms align with decades of scholarly work, professional practice (and in some fields, accreditation standards), and institutional commitment to recognizing and addressing barriers to educational opportunity and participation, including at Rutgers and its New Brunswick campus; and

WHEREAS the freedom of faculty members to use concepts, frameworks, and terminology – including but not limited to those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion – in teaching, scholarship, and public engagement is protected by the principles of academic freedom^[1] affirmed in Rutgers University Policy 60.5.1 and related University statements on academic freedom and professional ethics^[2]; and

WHEREAS institutions of higher education nationwide are facing evolving political pressures concerning the use of DEI-related language and programs, creating uncertainty about institutional responses and implications for federal research funding; and

WHEREAS reports received by the New Brunswick Faculty Council indicate that departments, schools, and administrative units at Rutgers–New Brunswick have been asked to alter or remove DEI-related terminology in program titles, committee names, websites, job descriptions, and other academic or administrative materials in response to these pressures; and

WHEREAS shared governance is a foundational principle of Rutgers University and requires meaningful consultation with faculty and shared governance bodies when decisions are contemplated that affect academic programs, scholarly activity, or the institutional mission;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the New Brunswick Faculty Council:

• Affirms its unequivocal support for the academic freedom of Rutgers faculty to employ the concepts, terminology, and scholarly frameworks they deem appropriate in their teaching, research, service, and public scholarship, including but not limited to terms such as “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion,” and “belonging”; and

• States that the removal or replacement of such language in academic programs, committees, or institutional materials in response to political pressures risks obscuring the work Rutgers has undertaken to expand educational opportunity for students from all backgrounds, and could be interpreted as a retreat from values long central to the University and Rutgers-New Brunswick missions; and 

• Calls upon Rutgers and Rutgers-New Brunswick leadership to:
  • ensure that any institutional responses to evolving political pressures affecting these matters are developed through meaningful engagement with faculty and shared governance bodies; and
  • act in recognition of the fact that compliance with current federal guidance about DEI-related activities does not require the erasure (e.g., from University websites) of evidence of clearly past activities undertaken when federal guidance was different; and
  • act in recognition of the fact that federal guidance about current DEI-related activities is not per se “legal” and stands to be adjudicated in the courts; and

• Asks the Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor to provide the NBFC with a summary of requests it has made to units to remove or alter DEI-related language, titles, or programs on the New Brunswick campus, as well as periodic updates regarding future actions or guidance related to these matters.