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Ivy Tech Community College has announced plans to sunset its Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging (DEB), according to a letter to students from President Sue Ellspermann.
Ellspermann cited recent executive orders from President Donald Trump to defund DEI initiatives, as well as proposed legislation currently going through the Indiana General Assembly that “would enact prohibitions for state educational institutions like Ivy Tech Community College regarding DEI.”
Last week, the Indiana Senate approved Senate Bill 289 by a 34-13 vote. The bill would prohibit mandatory DEI training in K-12 public schools and restrict DEI programs within state universities, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
It would also bar colleges and universities in Indiana from funding DEI offices.
“The DEI worldview is trying to convince Americans that discrimination can actually be a good thing—so long as it’s the right kind of discrimination. I respectfully, but wholeheartedly disagree with that thinking,” said the bill’s author, Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville. “I think it pits people against each other, and it causes people to lose trust that they will be treated fairly.”
Ellspermann said the DEB office would close on March 12, noting that the decision is more of a proactive move.
“While state laws and federal actions are not yet finalized, the college is acting now to protect our federal and state funding so we can ensure uninterrupted services and provide ample time for adjustment in our operations,” she said in the letter.
A spokesperson for Ivy Tech said 31 employees across the college’s statewide footprint will be affected by the move. Ellspermann noted that they will be encouraged to apply for open positions at the college and will be given outplacement services support, including career coaching and resume building.
“Treating others with respect and understanding is engrained in the College’s core values of empathy, integrity, and accountability,” she said. “These same core values will help us move forward together as we help each other through this transition successfully.”
Ivy Tech Community College has 19 campuses and 26 satellite locations throughout Indiana. It is the state’s third-largest higher education institution with nearly 42,000 students enrolled in the fall 2024 semester, according to IBJ research.
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“The DEI worldview is trying to convince Americans that discrimination can actually be a good thing—so long as it’s the right kind of discrimination. I respectfully, but wholeheartedly disagree with that thinking,” said the bill’s author, Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville. “I think it pits people against each other, and it causes people to lose trust that they will be treated fairly.” Translation, I know nothing about DEI and think it is simply a way to advance less qualified people who fall into certain groups that have long been marginalized over white, mostly male and able-bodied people. As a white, mostly male, able-bodied person, this scares me. I am too ignorant or too lazy to really learn about DEI, what it actually does to help these marginalized groups of people and the advancements in our society that have roots in DEI. I just want everything to go back to the way it was when white males controlled everything and made decisions based solely on how they impacted us white males.