CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina General Assembly’s short session is set to begin in less than a month, and there was a fresh sign this week that the state legislature could take up a hot-button issue in higher education: diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.

At a committee meeting of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, board member Jim Blaine — the former chief of staff to Republican Senate leader Phil Berger and a powerful political player in the state — predicted that North Carolina could become one of the next states to eliminate DEI efforts at its public universities.

“It’s my belief that it is likely that the Board of Governors or the state legislature will follow Florida’s path as it relates to DEI this year,” Blaine said.

Florida has dominated much of the national conversation over higher education in recent years, with efforts to ban DEI — among other decisions made by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers — becoming flashpoints.

DeSantis signed legislation defunding DEI programs at public colleges and universities in Florida last year, and the governing board that oversees the state’s university system passed a policy in January to conform with the law. As a result of the law and policy, the University of Florida earlier this month closed its Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI employee positions and ended DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors.

Several other states have considered, and in some cases passed, similar legislation targeting DEI spending, as well as related issues, such as the use of diversity statements and writing prompts in hiring.

Blaine said he agreed with Florida’s actions on DEI and said North Carolina enacting similar legislation or policies would be “the right decision.”

“I think what I’ve seen, in my opinion, is that DEI creates and exacerbates problems on this campus and doesn’t solve them,” Blaine said. “So I hope that they do move forward in eliminating DEI. I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Though North Carolina has not fully banned DEI, laws and policies passed by lawmakers and some university leaders over the past year-plus — including a ban on “compelled speech” in university hiring and admissions — have already shown similarities to efforts in Florida.

What will NC legislature do?

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