On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump declared the country’s end to radical and wasteful government diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and
Dr. Mordecai Brownlee
As the sector awaits federal guidance set by the Attorney General and the Secretary of Education, questions are swirling regarding how institutions of higher education approach student access, support, and belonging. To those questions, I say despite the ebbs and flows of the political landscape that change with the times, the core mission of higher education must remain unchanged. Equity should not be seen as a political agenda; it is a moral imperative educators provide to society.
At the Community College of Aurora (Colorado), where I proudly serve as president, the diversity of our student body is rich, with over 60 counties represented and countless languages and dialects spoken. Over 69% of our students identify as students of color, and over 55% are first-generation college students. With an institutional mission to serve this diverse community and provide high-quality instruction and support services to provide our learners pathways towards workforce employment and transferability, our open-access institution stands as a beacon of hope and opportunity for our community to realize the American dream of economic mobility. Equity is institutionalized in our college mission and a means of differentiating our approach to higher education as a community college – we serve our community. However, now I wonder if my country views our work as an engine for good or a piece in a larger puzzle of demise.
Like many of you, I have sought wisdom from my community to find wisdom and hope amid the unknown. Two educators I have turned to are Dr. Gillian McKnight-Tutein, Chief Education Equity Officer for the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and Dr. Dwinita Mosby Tyler, Founder and Chief Catalyst for The Equity Project. Dr. McKnight-Tein reminded me that while political realities may change, our institutional responsibilities to advance equity as a driver of economic mobility and community strength do not. Furthermore, as policy rollbacks occur, she brilliantly shared the importance of avoiding excessive and premature compliance as we all seek to understand how to proceed.
Dr. Tyler profoundly expressed that there is a notion in this country that equity, or anything associated with it, is a program. It leads to the mis/disinformation that we are advancing unqualified people and leaving qualified people behind. The reality is that equity is a constant lens that allows us to scan for anything in our systems, whether designed intentionally or unintentionally, that creates barriers for people. Equity then becomes the lens we use when we do what we do best in education.
As we all brace for the future ahead and the parameters of our work that are yet to be established, I encourage all to remember our moral obligation as educators to serve our students with excellence and embrace the charge to remove barriers that prevent student attainment. We must build bridges towards the academic rigor established by our respective academic academies to ensure our diverse student communities can effectively compete and rightfully earn the opportunities that advance their lives, their families' lives, and, ultimately, collective communities and country. May we all lean deeply into our moral obligation to advance equity in higher education.
Dr. Mordecai Brownlee is the president of the Community College of Aurora
