Governor Mike Braun released a report Wednesday on the administration's progress in removing and replacing programs or language related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Merit, Excellence and Innovation.
Braun signed an executive order in January and asked state agencies to submit a report to the Governor’s Office by July 1. The latest report identified 350 uses of DEI language or initiatives in state government programs which have already been reviewed for adjustments, updated or eliminated.
A press release identified 70 cases of DEI training, instruction, or programing for state employees which have been eliminated; 34 grants within Indiana state agencies that included DEI initiatives which are now open to all Hoosiers and 200 DEI initiatives in state agency policy and procedures which will now prioritize the values of MEI.
“Diversity and equality are hallmarks of what we believe as a country, but these top-down DEI mandates led to division and inefficiency by forcing decisions to flow through this office whose purpose was to achieve a political goal, rather than focused solely on maximizing results for Hoosiers on the kitchen table issues that affect their lives,” Braun said in a statement.
Each government agency was reviewed for potential changes to their programs or statements. Notable changes were made within the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
“Padres Estrellas,” a program on contract with CHE to connect with schools, neighborhoods and community partners to help enroll students in the 21st Century Scholars program will be discontinued at the end of the year due to the programs focusing “only on Hispanic and Latino communities,” according to a report.
Three grants — the Career Coaching Grant, the College Success Program and the STEM Teacher Recruitment Grant — were cancelled, and funding was reallocated to other programs due to being tailored to low income or minority groups.
Many changes across agencies included updated language in mission statements, descriptions and websites. Other changes included archiving past annual reports from the Indiana Department of Correction that included DEI language.
The full report is available to view here.
