The University of Kentucky announced earlier this year that it was eliminating its diversity office. UK's Main Building houses the UK president's and other offices. (Photo by Mark Cornelison | UK Photo)

Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) has paused an evaluation of equal opportunity goals for the state’s public universities.

CPE General Counsel Travis Powell told lawmakers on the Interim Joint Committee on Education Friday that CPE halted the annual evaluation via a moratorium about a month ago to review and establish a new process. The new process will later be filed as an administrative regulation, he said.?

The review ending in June was the final time Kentucky’s public colleges and universities went through the evaluation process that’s being changed, he said. CPE oversees higher education at eight public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System?

The benchmarks have come under fire from Republican lawmakers as they debate how to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives in higher education. Rep. Josh Calloway, R-Irvington, has said he and other lawmakers, including Rep. Candy Massaroni, R-Bardstown, planned to file a bill during the 2025 legislative session that would eliminate a requirement for public universities and colleges to submit diversity plans to the CPE and remove penalties for not meeting CPE standards. Lawmakers return to Frankfort in January.?

Under the current law, CPE has the authority to postpone approving a new academic program if an institution has not met an equal educational opportunity goal as established by CPE. Institutions can obtain a waiver in such cases if they have “made substantial progress” toward meeting those goals.?

Powell said lawmakers on the committee had asked for a further presentation on how the evaluation process works. He said CPE reviews data, such as graduate and undergraduate student enrollment and reviews various demographics, such as religious, LGBTQ+ and international representation within the student population. The evaluation also considered qualitative information, like how universities planned to align with CPE’s strategic agenda.?

“I think there are some things that we can include in our new policy moving forward that will align with the new performance funding model metrics, and also incorporate some things like diversity of thought, civil engagement, discussion about the First Amendment, better campus climate, that sort of thing,” Powell said.?

Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed an amendment to a postsecondary funding bill to prohibit the use of “any race-based metrics or targets in the formulas” for the higher education funding model.?

Two bills dedicated to limiting or endingDEI in higher education —?Senate Bill 6 and House Bill 9 —?failed to pass, but the discussion is likely to continue in the 2025 session. Presidents of several public universities have spoken to the interim education committee about DEI on their campuses. Ryan Quarles, the president of KCTCS, made a similar presentation during Friday’s meeting.?

Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, the sponsor of the anti-DEI bill in the House, asked Powell about CPE’s authority to declare a moratorium on the evaluation process under state law. Powell said an administrative regulation allows CPE to “decide how often it needs” to do the evaluation.?

Amid the legislative scrutiny of DEI, some public universities have taken steps on their own to review or eliminate such programs. The University of Kentucky and Northern Kentucky University announced they are closing their diversity offices. KCTCS announced a review of its programs and resources.?