On Friday, February 21, 2025, the University of Alaska Board of Regents, which consists of officials appointed by the Governor of Alaska, said a prayer and then voted to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the University of Alaska system. 

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They did so without input from the faculty, which they apparently do not need as the Board of Regents has an effective carte blanche with which to enact sweeping systematic changes. The motion was not on the Board's agenda. The only member to vote against it was the student representative. 

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The choice is a preemptive, obsequious move by the University of Alaska system to comply with one of the current administration's myriad of illegal executive orders. A federal district court in Maryland has issued a preliminary injunction in NADOHE v. Trump (2025) blocking key provisions of the executive order on the grounds that it: 1) violate the First Amendment (free speech) and Fifth Amendment (protection of citizens from government overreach). The injunction has halted the enforcement of requirements to terminate DEI-related contracts/programs, to force compliance with anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mandates, and to prioritize the investigation of institutions with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mandates.

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University administration is falling in line.