In a July article in the American Mind titled “How Texas A&M Went Woke,” Scott Yenor details the insidious transformation of a traditionally conservative university into a bastion of leftist ideology. Despite Texas A&M’s heritage of military service and meritocratic ideals, radical DEI efforts have infiltrated and reshaped the institution’s core values.
The 2010 Diversity Plan marked the beginning of A&M’s descent into leftist orthodoxy. It prioritized faculty equity and a so-called transformation of campus climate. According to Yenor, the university’s leadership erroneously believed that “Diversity is an indispensable component of academic excellence.” This notion birthed committees and “diversicrats” to enforce conformity through diversity bonuses and mandatory training.
By 2020, the demographic makeup of the student and faculty body showed minimal change, revealing the failure of these policies. However, the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and the subsequent 2020 riots led to an intensified push for more DEI measures. The 2020 State of Diversity Report condemned A&M’s community as systemically racist, labeling even meritocracy as a facade for exclusion and discrimination. Terms like “color-blind” and “race-neutral” were criticized as perpetuating institutional racism.
Yenor argues that A&M’s DEI efforts aim to transform the university into a breeding ground for leftist activism, stating, “Pedagogy is the most powerful and effective form of activism.” The radical DEI agenda, once masquerading as meritocratic, now outright denounces meritocracy itself.
The expansion of DEI personnel and programs underscores this leftist overreach. An example is the ACES Plus fellowship, which restricts eligibility to minority faculty. These initiatives have diluted A&M’s curriculum, replacing core requirements with courses steeped in DEI ideology. American students deserve better. Students at Texas A&M, which specializes in many technical subjects like agriculture and engineering, should be learning cold hard facts, not left-wing propaganda.
This post originally appeared at https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/family/colleges/texas-am-embraces-dei/
Phyllis Schlafly