Academic Argument

MIT admits DIE doesn't work:

MIT president Sally Kornbluth, flanked by the provost, chancellor, and all six academic deans, announced the death of the DEI requirement in a statement. Requests for a statement on diversity will no longer be part of applications for any faculty positions at MIT. My goals are to tap into the full scope of human talent, to bring the very best to MIT, and to make sure they thrive ... here. We can build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don’t work. No kidding? Just one question, Ms. Kornbluth: How did you not know that before you and your fellow geniuses approved of the political litmus test in the first place? Here's more: [D]iversity statements have become common practice in higher ed in recent years, compelling faculty or research applicants to bloviate over two to three pages about their commitment to “advance excellence in diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging as a teacher and a researcher in higher education,” as Harvard describes its own diversity statement requirement. As one of the country’s most prestigious institutes of higher learning, MIT fields job applications from some of the world’s top scientific minds. But even those applying for highly specialized fields weren’t spared the diversity statement requirement. In a 2023 faculty job posting for MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, sandwiched between a requirement for three or more reference letters and examples of published research, candidates are instructed to provide “a statement regarding their views on diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including past and current contributions as well as their vision and plans for the future in these areas.” Surprisingly, MIT has stuck a fork in the above idiocy— at least officially. Academic Freedom Alliance is among the prominent groups that have blasted DEI hiring requirements, writing in a 2022 newsletter: Academics seeking employment or promotion will almost inescapably feel pressured to say things that accommodate the perceived ideological preferences of an institution demanding a diversity statement, notwithstanding the actual beliefs or commitments of those forced to speak. Exactly.

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