Despite supposedly ending its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, further analysis shows the University of Kentucky may not have abandoned its ideological agenda after all.
A recent investigation by CriticalRace.org found that the University of Kentucky’s College of Education offers a graduate program specifically designed to train students for leadership roles in DEI within higher education. The program is part of the PhD Studies in Higher Education Program’s “specialization in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion,” and can be found in UK’s 2026-2027 Graduate Catalog.
“A PhD Studies in Higher Education specialization in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (SHED-DEI) prepares students for high-level administrative positions in diversity, equity, and inclusiveness leadership in higher education settings,” reads the catalog.
Additionally, students in this specialization must complete a nine-credit certificate course that prepares graduates for roles in “Senior Diversity Officer Leadership.”
“Our PhD program in Studies in Higher Education is ideal for individuals who want to lead, research, and shape the future of colleges and universities,” reads the UK website.
The University of Kentucky’s Graduate School has not been immune from scandal regarding its participation in DEI programming.
In 2025, a federal investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights concluded that UK’s Graduate Program violated the Civil Rights Act by participating in “The Ph.D. Project.” This organization operates as a pipeline program specifically targeting minority students, an initiative that the University of Kentucky was found to have “endorsed, promoted, and benefited” from.
“The university endorsed, promoted, and benefited from a program that limited participation based on race through its payment of partnership fees and the support of travel for participants in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic year,” read the investigation letter.
“Title VI and its accompanying regulations forbid the University’s participation in programs designed to discriminate against individuals on the basis of their race or national origin.”
Both revelations come after UK supposedly embraced “impartiality” by closing its DEI office and ending mandatory diversity training. In 2024, President Eli Capilouto announced that UK would move toward neutrality in an effort to counter concerns that the institution had become “partisan or political.”
“[We’ve] listened to policymakers and heard many of their questions about whether we appear partisan or political on the issues of our day and, as a result, narrowly interpret things solely through the lens of identity. In so doing, the concern is that we either intentionally or unintentionally limit discourse.”
Far from embracing neutrality, the University of Kentucky’s “DEI specialization” program trains future higher education leaders to push progressive ideologies on college campuses.
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