Mistaken Anti-DEI Guidance Stokes Research Fears Under Trump

The journal now says it has no intention of implementing anti-DEI policies.

Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | korawat thatinchan/iStock/Getty Images

A message sent to journal authors by mistake requiring their work comply with the Trump administration’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion order revealed to researchers how vulnerable academic journal autonomy may be to the federal government’s attack on higher education.

On Oct. 30, Kathryn Wiley, an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Howard University, received an email from the editors of The Excellence in Education Journal ( EEJ ), a small, open access peer-reviewed publication where she’s aiming to publish an article about parent engagement.

The email included reminders ab