MIT closes DEI office as Trump administration targets Harvard funding

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is shutting down its diversity, equity and inclusion office following a comprehensive assessment that began nearly 18 months ago.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth announced the closing, or “sunsetting,” of the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) last Thursday.

“As I’ve said many times, MIT is in the talent business,” Kornbluth’s announcement read. “Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive.”

Among the top priorities listed in the memo, titled “How we support our community,” was a section with the header “Core programs will continue, but we will wind down the central ICEO.”

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is sunsetting its Institute Community and Equity Office. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

“This process began nearly 18 months ago,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital, noting that the decision followed a “comprehensive assessment” of the Institute.

The ICEO, which billed itself online as a steward of “MIT’s values and their interconnections,” claimed it built “community through care, education, restorative practices, and programming that embraces, celebrates, and helps increase MIT’s diversity in all its forms.”

Dr. Sally Kornbluth, President of MIT, announced the winding down of the DEI-adjacent office last Thursday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

MIT will also eliminate the role of vice president for equity and inclusion, Kornbluth confirmed.

Earlier this month, the school became the first in its class to scrap diversity pledges in its hiring and admissions processes – a practice slammed by free speech advocate organization FIRE as functionally serving as “ideological litmus tests.”

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While the reassessment of the office has been over a year in the making, its closure coincides with a very public battle between the Trump administration and Harvard University over related practices. (Getty Images | iStock)

MIT’s decision comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s public feud with nearby Harvard University, including a recent ask to pull all federal funds – amounting to a staggering $100 million in contracts – being funneled toward the Ivy League institution.

This comes after Harvard has shown little sway in its standoff with the president over foreign student enrollment and alleged race-based admissions.

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MIT, however, has been downscaling its DEI infrastructure for some time – and the university spokesperson denied any correlation between ongoing political disputes involving Harvard and the ICEO’s demise.