More than one year after President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at ending all federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), including in academia, the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga (UTC) continues to require students seeking a bachelor’s degree to complete a curriculum that appears to be influenced by the left-wing ideology.
The university’s website explains that, since 2023, the UTC general education program has included four desired student outcomes. In its third desired outcome, the university says its students should be educated to “cultivate inclusion by recognizing, examining, and reflecting on the diversity of cultural and individual experiences.”
While it is unclear when this language was added to the website, the sentence is repeated on UTC’s General Education Program Assessment Results for the 2025-26 academic year, seemingly confirming that students currently enrolled at the university are still being taught the Biden-era curriculum including “inclusion” and “diversity.”
A rubric created specifically for the “inclusion” outcome elaborates further, explaining that proficient students should be adept at “demonstrating awareness of how her/his/their experiences have shaped” “cultural norms and biases,” which should cause students to experience “a shift in self-description.”
Successful students should also develop a “sophisticated understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of other cultures,” and the empathy necessary “to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of other cultural groups,” according to the UTC document.
They should also learn to recognize “the multi-dimensional attributes of identity,” and develop responses to lines of inquiry “that reflect and include multiple cultural perspectives,” while actively meeting and interacting “with culturally different people.”
According to the rubric, this study of other cultures will teach students about inclusion.
“We live in multicultural society with a shared future. As such, it is important for students to be inclusive of different cultures,” the rubric states. “To cultivate inclusion, students need to develop cultural self-awareness, knowledge of cultural world views, empathy, curiosity, and openness.”
The UTC rubric adds, “It’s also imperative that students go beyond experiencing new cultures and develop self-awareness and identity in order to respect diversity as essential to community success.”
Asked whether all university students seeking an undergraduate degree from UTC are required to complete coursework aligned with this desired student outcome, and whether it has evaluated this potential requirement for compliance with state and federal guidance regarding DEI, Vice Chancellor Jay Blackman told The Tennessee Star, “UTC is in compliance with all state and federal laws.”
In addition to the “diversity” and “inclusion” instruction required for all students pursuing a bachelor’s degree, UTC continues to offer at least three courses that appear to be directly related to DEI or include parts of its ideology.
Two of these courses appear to be upper-level management or business courses.
The first of these is MGT 4360, Managing Diversity in Organizations. The university explains, “In response to changing workforce demographics, the global marketplace, and increased competition, organizational awareness of the need to effectively manage an increasingly more diverse workforce has intensified.”
According to UTC, “This course helps students understand these issues and develop skills to function better in a multicultural business environment.”
The second course is MGT 5040, Understanding Diversity and Inclusion when Managing Employees, which UTC states is designed to help ” students understand diversity issues and their importance.” Only available during summer semesters, UTC explains students who take the class, “will develop awareness and skills to function better in a multicultural business environment and build a more inclusive workplace.”
The third, current UTC course to reference DEI is part of the Social Work discipline, SOCW 100 – Matters of Ethnicity, Race, Class and Gender.
According to the university’s description, this is a “diversity course” that specifically “examines matters of class, ethnicity, gender and race relations from a multicultural perspective.” UTC notes, “Contemporary issues along the diversity continuum such as gender inequality, diversity in religion and minority groups, immigration, and social justice are also explored.”
Asked about these courses, Blackman told The Star, “The general education courses you’ve referenced are not mandatory, and students have choice and flexibility in shaping their academic journey.”
Trump signed multiple executive orders targeting DEI in government and education after reentering the White House last year, including one that targeted DEI programs and unlawful discrimination, and a second that directed agencies to end DEI programs and to publish guidance for universities and colleges receiving federal funding.
A U.S. Department of Education “Dear Colleague” letter later warned that schools that adopt race-conscious curricula, maintain racial preferences in admission, and/or continue various other DEI practices could be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Last year, Tennessee also passed the Dismantling DEI Departments Act, which prohibits any public college or university in the Volunteer State from creating DEI offices or pushing related mandates.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Students” by The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.Â
Time to replace the “leaders” at UTC.