Just six months after posting a job opening for the office, Samford has closed its Office of Student Success and Diversity.
The move follows a series of incremental website changes stemming from 1819 News' investigation into the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
“Over the course of the last two years, there have been various developments in the law with respect to diversity initiatives," a spokesman for the university told The Samford Crimson, which first reported the news.
"Following a Supreme Court decision in 2023 concerning college and university admissions, Samford began reviewing university operations to ensure compliance with the law, and that work continued into this year when the federal government issued related directives and guidance, including as recently as July of this year. As a result of the review, the university made a decision to close the Office of Student Success and Diversity," the statement continued.
While the university says it has closed the office, it has kept its Race, Ethnicity and Social Justice minor, which Samford approved in the spring and went live in fall 2022.
"2020 was a year of civil unrest. The murder of George Floyd sparked outrage across the country, inspiring many people and institutions to reflect on how they could be better allies in the fight against racism. Samford was no different," a statement on its website explains.
"Race, ethnicity, and culture had to be throughout the curriculum and the courses,” Theresa Davidson, the current director of the program, said at the time. “It had to be front and center. There also had to be a social justice undertone.”
Below are some of the courses as described on the school’s website:
- HIST 222 - The African American Experience: This course introduces students to the African American experience in the United States from the 1860s to the 1990s. Students will have the opportunity to consider the founding promises of the nation-liberty, equality, justice, and freedom-and how they have been denied to African Americans and how the black community struggled to make real these promises
- SOCI 330 - Sociology of Gender: Examines the socially constructed nature of gender. Reviews key sociological theories in the study of gender, examines the interaction of gender with major institutions in society, and highlights the way in which gender constructions translate into gender inequality. Emphasis on the intersection of race and class with gender.
- HIST 437 - The History of American Women: Study of women who have made a significant impact on mainstream American history and the role and status of ordinary women. Includes consideration of the forces that have been exerted on American society by women as a group and the forces that have been exerted upon women. Offered: On rotation.
- SOCI 205 - Sociology of Race and Ethnic Relations: Exploration of historic social forces that shaped specific definitions, rivalries, prejudices and outcomes of race and ethnicity in North America. Examples of other racial and ethnic stratification provide critical/analytic comparisons with North America. Examination of the future of race and ethnicity through analysis of the socially constructed pathways that led to contemporary society.
- HDFE 413 - Multicultural Perspectives: Overview of contemporary family science scholarship related to multicultural, diversity and gender perspectives. Examines the centrality of cultural identity and gender in the organization, structure and functioning of families and societies. Cultural competence and cross-cultural skills are explored through multicultural and diversity perspectives in national and international contexts. Offered: On rotation.
"Students enrolled in this minor will learn about the history, social and political context and culture of racial and ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans and other historically marginalized groups," the university explained.
"They might be a little uncomfortable and I'm okay with that," Davidson outlined. "Education should do that, but it's still a safe academic space for discussion, discourse and sharing."
Davidson has been outspoken on her views on efforts to end public education DEI programs.
“It appears that legislators of the Alabama House Bill 312 bill want to shut down any discourse about difference, racial inequality, systemic inequality, and other topics related to race,” Davidson told The Samford Crimson after the bill passed.
Samford did not respond to a request for comment.
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