Universities revamp their diversity offices under pressure from the Trump Administration: the Caltech case

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech), world-renowned for its academic rigor and focus on meritocracy, has taken a step that has raised suspicions about its intentions: it changed the title of its top diversity officer, but kept the structure of the office it runs intact.

According to a recent article in The Washington Free Beacon, this move appears to be an attempt to preserve its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs through superficial adjustments, amid an adverse political climate in the United States.

The announcement, made last week, indicates that Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux, until now assistant to the vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and assessment, has been promoted to associate to the vice president for campus climate, engagement and success. Although the new title removes any explicit reference to DEI, Malcom-Piqueux will continue to oversee Caltech's Center for Inclusion and Diversity, the central office for these initiatives at the institution.

This was confirmed in an institutional email sent by Caltech's president, Thomas Rosenbaum, on March 31, where he stressed that in her new role, she will drive "engagement, progression, and personal and professional success" for the university community.

The Center for Inclusion and Diversity, according to its own description on the Caltech website, offers "educational workshops and programming for all to learn, connect, and improve their practice and approach to doing great science." It also seeks to foster identity exploration, community building, and networking. However, this title change does not appear to alter its essence or operation, suggesting that it may be more of a cosmetic maneuver than a substantial reform.

This twist at Caltech comes just two weeks after the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA, run by the same university, executed a similar move.

Neela Rajendra, until then JPL's chief diversity officer, became chief of the Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success, a title that also evades mentions of the DEI.

This change occurred against a backdrop of budget cuts that led to the layoff of 900 employees and the elimination of diversity-related web pages, The Washington Free Beacon reported. Interestingly, Rajendra had previously noted that "extreme deadlines" were an obstacle to inclusion, a stance that now contrasts with his new role.

The pattern is not unique to Caltech. Last February, the University of Michigan School of Nursing renamed its DEI office the "community culture" office, following a trend that appears to be spreading among US academic institutions.

Pressure from the Trump Administration

These moves coincide with pressure from the Donald Trump Administration, which since its return to power in 2025 has intensified its offensive against diversity programs in higher education, deeming them discriminatory or unnecessary.

Despite its reputation as a bastion of meritocracy and its historical resistance to the woke trends, Caltech does not seem immune to these tensions.

The Center for Inclusion and Diversity's website includes a disclaimer stressing that all of its programs and support structures are open to any member of the campus community, a move that could be interpreted as a shield against possible accusations of racial discrimination. However, some of its programs, such as the Black Ladies Association of Caltech, are clearly designed with specific groups in mind, offering "networking and professional development opportunities for African-American women in STEM and their allies."

Beyond Caltech: a broader context

Additional information reveals that this strategy of rebranding without reforming is not new. According to a recent article in The New York Times, the US Department of Education is investigating 45 universities, including Yale and Cornell, as well as Ohio State and Arizona State, for their involvement in the Ph.D. Project, a program to increase racial diversity among business school professors.

This suggests that institutions are looking for ways to keep their diversity initiatives under a lower profile.

On the other hand, a recent report by Associated Press indicates that several US companies, including Uber, Google, Target, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, McDonald's, Ford and Walmart, among others, are backing away from their commitments to DEI policies, reflecting a broader trend in response to current policies.