Photo by Aubrey Carr | The Crow’s Nest
By Alisha Durosier
Shortly after the University of South Florida was listed among 60 universities under federal investigation for “antisemitic harassment and discrimination,” the university is facing another investigation for offering alleged “impermissible race-based scholarships.”
In a letter sent to USF on March 13, the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office (OCR) cited a complaint alleging that the university’s partnership with the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program violates Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and discriminates against students on the basis of race.
The McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program was established in 1984 and is funded by the Florida Education Fund.
The program seeks to address the “underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic faculty at colleges and universities” in Florida by financially supporting students who are pursuing PhDs at any of the nine participating schools within the state.
Of the participating Florida institutions, which includes Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida International University, Florida State University, University of Central Florida, the University of Florida and the University of Miami, USF is the only one being federally investigated for offering the fellowship.
A university spokesperson said that the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program “is a longstanding program that is offered at numerous colleges and universities in Florida and is permitted under state law.”
USF’s webpage detailing information about the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program has since been taken down.
Fifty-two higher education institutions are under investigation by the Department of Education for race-based Title VI violations. Forty-five of the institutions are being investigated for participating in the PhD Project, another program that supports students from underrepresented groups in navigating their PhD programs. And one institution is being investigated for offering a program that allegedly “segregates students on the basis of race.”
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a March 14 press release.
The recent federal investigations into higher education institutions align with the Trump administration’s current crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI), nationwide.
On Feb. 14, the Department of Education sent schools across the U.S. a letter known as the “Dear Colleague Letter,” detailing the department’s current interpretation of federal law. Institutions were advised in the letter to dismantle DEI-related programs and activities or face “potential loss of federal funding.”
Less than a month later on March 10, with the “antisemitic harassment and discrimination” investigation, the first series of federal investigations into universities were announced.
Subsequently, on March 11, the Trump administration laid off nearly half of the Department of Education’s workforce. According to the Associated Press, 240 of the fired employees worked for the OCR, gutting seven of the 12 regional OCR offices.
Even amidst the changes occurring within the Department of Education, the investigations are still ongoing.
“During the investigation, OCR is a neutral fact-finder, collecting and analyzing the evidence it
needs to make a decision about the complaint,” the Department of Education’s letter to USF stated. “OCR’s opening of this investigation is not itself evidence of a violation of federal civil rights laws and regulations.”
USF has until March 31 to provide the Department of Education with all requested information and supporting documents related to the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program. This includes the names, race, national origin and ethnicity of students selected for the program for the current and past two academic years, along with the names of faculty members involved in the applicant selection process.
The university said that it will cooperate with the investigation and “continue to work with the state and federal governments to comply with all guidance, policies and laws.”
