USC may be cut from federal research program over alleged DEI hiring practices

The State Department recommended cutting 38 universities from the program, according to a memo obtained by the Guardian.

By ZACHARY WHALEN
The Diplomacy Lab guides student research on policy problems identified by the State Department. (Marissa Ding / Daily Trojan file photo)

The State Department is considering cutting USC from a federal research partnership program in response to what it says are diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices, according to Nov. 17 internal documents obtained by the Guardian.

The program, titled Diplomacy Lab, guides student research on policy problems identified by the State Department. The Guardian reported Wednesday that an internal memo recommended cutting ties with universities if they “‘openly engage in DEI hiring practices” or set DEI objectives for candidate pools.

The State Department identified 38 universities to be cut from the Diplomacy Lab program beginning Jan. 1, 2026, according to the Guardian.


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Previously, in an Oct. 16 statement rejecting the Trump administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” interim President Beong-Soo Kim wrote that the University “takes its legal obligations very seriously, including the laws prohibiting discrimination in admissions [and] hiring.”

This is a developing story

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