A College admin change
The “Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion” at Wellesley recently became the “Associate Provost for Inclusive Pedagogy and Engagement.”
In a statement to The Wellesley News, a spokesperson for the College said that conversations about the position title began informally in 2024, and the name of the position was formally changed on Feb. 1, 2025.
“The change was made so that the title would more accurately reflect – to people both on and off campus – the broad range of the work being done in this position,” the spokesperson said.
The change comes after President Trump’s Jan. 21 executive order on “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” In section five, the order states that within 120 days of its issuance, the Attorney General and Secretary of Education shall “issue guidance” to state, local, and higher educational institutions that receive federal funds about what they must do to comply with Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the Supreme Court case that reversed affirmative action.
The executive order, then, would entail that Wellesley College, as a higher education institution receiving federal grants and participating in federal student loan assistance, would receive this guidance.
The spokesperson for the College maintained that the Associate Provost Office of Inclusive Pedagogy & Engagement position “is designed to support all faculty in departments across the College with our Inclusive Excellence commitment.” This includes developing curricula, teaching initiatives, and promoting a “vibrant and restorative community.”
The change in context
While the College did not state that the position title change was influenced by any current presidential administration policy, the change occurred alongside the presidential administration’s push to affirm its anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) stance.
Two weeks after the change, on Feb. 14, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, Craig Trainor, released a letter condemning DEI in all its forms in all American educational institutions.
The letter “provides notice of the Department’s existing interpretation of federal law,” and lays out the ways the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action “applies more broadly.”
Trainor says that “DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not.”
Trainor stated in the letter that federal law prohibits covered institutions from using race in decisions concerning admission, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarship, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies and “all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”
The letter advises all educational institutions to ensure that their policies and actions comply with civil rights law and cease any efforts to circumvent those laws by indirect means. It concludes by stating that institutions that fail to comply will face potential loss of federal funding.
The News first reported on Feb. 5 that before the new College website was launched on March 11, the Wellesley website included a “Diversity and Inclusion” page with messages from President Paula Johnson, Dean Peach Valdes and their diversity recruitment team. That page has now been replaced with one titled “Where You Belong.”
The College also previously told the News that their admissions process is already compliant with the Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College Supreme Court decision, and they did not anticipate any changes.
A Department of Education letter
On March 10, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a letter to 60 higher education institutions — including Wellesley College — to remind them of their legal obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
On Mar. 14, General Counsel Karen Petrulakis and Director of Nondiscrimination Initiatives and Title IX Coordinator/504 Coordinator Justin Bell sent a letter to the Wellesley community.
In the letter, they stated that Wellesley continues to condemn antisemitism and all hate and discrimination and that “since well before this letter, Wellesley has taken action to ensure that all our students, including Jewish students, have a strong sense of belonging at Wellesley.”
The letter goes on to assert that the College is complying with Title VI policies through encouraging reporting of discrimination and harassment and establishing mandatory Title VI antidiscrimination training for students, faculty and staff.
