The world’s largest business school accreditation body has purged diversity and inclusion from its reporting standards, as US President Donald Trump’s campaign against “woke” education reaches the next generation of managers, entrepreneurs and investors.
The US-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which accredits more than 1,000 business schools around the world, has issued an update replacing “diversity and inclusion” as one of its 10 “Guiding Principles and Expectations for Accredited Schools” in favour of “Community and Connectedness”.
It has removed the phrase “AACSB remains deeply committed to diversity and inclusion in collegiate business education” and eliminated another dozen references to diversity and inclusion in the document.
The action is the latest indication that organisations which had previously embraced diversity are scrapping or modifying policies targeted by the Trump administration in a series of executive orders.
The new AACSB guidance aims to ensure business schools still “cultivate an environment that values engagement, mutual respect, and collaboration”.
In a memo to its members, it said the change in wording reflected “the current legal and political environment surrounding higher education and accreditation and reframed terms that have become politicised in the US and around the world . . . with a goal to proactively mitigate risks for our members and strengthen the organisation’s long-term stability”.
Lily Bi, chief executive of the AACSB, said: “DEI has become a very complex, evolving concept and very much politicised in the US” and that the organisation had changed its wording to mitigate the risks for business schools in 27 US states which had already imposed restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
She said the schools “were facing tremendous challenges with the need to comply with local laws, maintain finances and uphold AACSB accreditation”.
But she stressed: “Honestly our mission doesn’t change, our values don’t change. We still have inclusivity and we remain committed to the substance of DEI. If somebody weaponises this concept, we don’t want this weapon shooting our members. It’s better than nothing. There is no future-proof solution. If you take no action, that is the worst action.”
A number of universities and business schools have already sought to reduce their exposure to scrutiny, such as Northeastern University, which removed references to DEI on its website. Harvard and MIT have both scrapped requirements for applicants for faculty jobs to include a statement of how they intend to contribute to campus diversity.
Equis, the rival European-based agency which accredits several US business schools, still mentions diversity in its standards on ethics, responsibility and sustainability.
The American Civil Liberties Union argued earlier this year: “Programmes labelled as DEIA [incorporating Accessibility] encompass a broad range of lawful initiatives that create fairer workplaces and schools. The executive orders attempt to conflate these lawful efforts with discrimination . . . Companies, schools, and institutions must resist the fear and confusion these executive orders are designed to create.”
