The Future of DEI in the Higher Education Workforce: Present Controversies and Future Strategies

The Future of DEI in the Higher Education Workforce takes readers through an in-depth and probing analysis of the evolving and contentious landscape surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in American higher education over the past two decades. Tracing the origins of DEI as a legal and institutional response to racial desegregation, shaped notably by the Supreme Court’s interpretations of the Fourteenth Amendment, authors Edna Chun and Alvin Evans examine how its core values were interpreted over this period and, later, undermined through a series of court rulings.Situating these legal shifts within broader political and demographic contexts, while also underscoring the way federal and state actions have sought to preserve white, sociopolitical dominance, the book advocates for a strategic shift of its own: rather than regarding these as separate, isolated initiatives, DEI principles should be embedded within a broader human resource and talent management framewo