We've written about economics professor Mark J. Perry before. He's been keeping track of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion departments that Gov. Ron DeSantis has fortunately dismantled in Florida state universities. Back in 2018, Perry reported that the University of Michigan employed nearly 100 full-time diversity administrators, officers, directors, vice-provosts, deans, consultants, specialists, investigators, managers, executive assistants, administrative assistants, analysts, and coordinators at a cost of $11 million.
It just got worse. Perry said that in 2022, the University of Michigan spent $18 million on 142 DEI bureaucrats — the equivalent of in-state tuition for 1,075 students. He ran the numbers for Ohio State as well and found the school had a small army of 132 "diversicrats" at an average salary of $77,000 and a total estimated payroll cost of $13.4 million.
Some good news: CNBC is reporting that DEI departments are first on the chopping block as layoffs loom.
Jennifer Elias reports:
By mid-2023, DEI-related job postings had declined 44% from the same time a year prior, according to data provided by job site Indeed. In November 2023, the last full month for which data was available, it dropped 23% year over year.
That’s a sharp contrast with the period from 2020 to 2021, when those postings expanded nearly 30%.
In line with this broader trend, both Google and Metahave cut staffers and downsized programs that fell under DEI investment.
The year’s cuts have also impacted smaller, third-party organizations who counted on big tech clients for work, despite the continued growth of those tech giants.
“Whenever there is an economic downturn in tech, some of the first budgets that are cut are in DEI, but I don’t think we’ve seen such stark contrast as this year,” said Melinda Briana Epler, founder and CEO of Empovia, which advises companies and leaders to use a research-based culture of equality.
"… which advises companies and leaders to use a research-based culture of equality." So all of those contractors hired to come in and give presentations on whiteness in the workplace are starting to feel the pinch? Business was booming after George Floyd's death.
Agreed. DEI is poison.
Late in his term, President Trump vowed to cut all funding for DEI programs in government institutions, but we never got to see that play out. Maybe next time?