The state auditor's office found that Texas A&M University-Central Texas and McClennan Community College each had one violation of a DEI ban.
The Texas A&M University flagship emerged from a state audit with no violations related to Texas' ban on diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. The State Auditor 's Office released the results of its first review on Friday, encompassing five community colleges and 20 of the Texas A&M University System's institutions.
Only Texas A&M University-Central Texas and McClennan Community College were found out of compliance in one instance each. Other campuses should follow in future reports. HIGHER ED: Rice University among Texas schools facing uncertainty amid Trump's DEI order The review comes after years of intense scrutiny for the flagship, culminating most recently with the governor's threat to oust university President Mark Welsh III over an apparent attempt to send students to a conference that allegedly flouted the state's DEI ban. Texas A&M also made national headlines in 2023 when the university watered down the contract of its journalism director, who board members had questioned related to her work and research experience in DEI, according to a system report after the incident. The state ban on diversity, equity and inclusion took effect in January 2024, and compliance has since become a frequent topic of concern at various university system's board meetings. Colleges and universities, especially professors, have also waited to see how anti-DEI efforts might be furthered in the current Legislative session. One Texas A&M University administrator anticipated cuts to key funds to show that 'we have collectively lost our core mission and are still too and leftist focused,” the Texas Tribune reported Friday. The House and Senate's state budget proposals both eliminate universities' institutional enhancement fund, according to the Tribune. The proposal, not yet passed, slashes $52 million in operational funding for Texas A&M, close to $40 million for University of Texas at Austin and around $40 million for both Texas Tech University and the University of Houston. The institutional enhancement funding affects teaching at Texas A&M, meaning a cut may reduce hundreds of course sections, the Tribune reported. The audit The state audit looked at the Texas A&M System agencies and schools, plus Blinn College, Hill College, Central Texas College, Temple College and McClennan Community College. The agency collected personnel and expenditure data, and information related to the hiring process. Officials also conducted sample tests of employees paid with state funds, which included any employees who had worked at or had job duties of a DEI office prior to the time of the audit. Trainings, required programs or activities, websites and announcements were also reviewed. McClennan was found out of compliance because of a video training for an employee, according to the audit. The video purchased in 2019 as new onboarding process, and school officials said it “was solely for new employees to understand how to work together with many different types of people. It was not purchased as part of any DEI initiative.” The university stopped using the video as a result of the state's findings. Texas A&M University-Central Texas engaged CampusWorks consultants last February on a five-year strategic plan, and the vendor referenced DEI services in the contract, according to the audit office. The request for proposal didn’t solicit that work, and the reference was not identified as an 'oversight,' state officials said. The vendor did not conduct DEI-related services during the project, but contract approvals were put on hold as processes were reviewed.
Office Texas A&M University M University State Auditor M University System Mcclennan Community College Rice University Texas Tech University University Of Houston University Of Texas At Austin House Texas Tribune Legislative Senate Blinn College Hill College Central Texas College Temple College Mark Welsh III M Trump Mcclennan Central Texas Campusworks DEI M University HIGHER ED M System
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