U.S. Department of Education Launches Investigation into Vanderbilt University

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation into Vanderbilt University and 44 other colleges and universities regarding the institutions’ “use of racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.”

Vanderbilt and the other institutions are under investigation amid allegations that they have violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by partnering with “The Ph.D. Project,” which, according to its website, “provides historically underrepresented students in the U.S. a model for achievement in academia to enrich the talent pipeline.”

The Ph.D. Project, founded in 1994, says it provides students from “historically underrepresented backgrounds” with partnerships, networking, mentoring, and unique events to earn Ph. Ds so they can “inspire and educate the next generation of students and business professionals.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in education programs and activities receiving federal funding. Violations of the Civil Rights Act can result in the loss of federal funding.

The Department of Education said Vanderbilt and the other institutions that have partnered with the organization may have violated the federal anti-discrimination law because the organization limits eligibility based on participants’ race, which would impact the institutions’ ability to receive federal funding.

“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment,” McMahon added.

In addition to the institutions under investigation for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs, the Department of Education further announced Friday that seven additional institutions are under separate investigations for “alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation.”

Earlier this week, the Department of Education warned 60 universities and colleges, including the University of Tennessee, that they could face consequences if they do not “fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.”

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Vanderbilt University” by Vanderbilt University.