The decision to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln drew praise from the highest elected office in the state on Wednesday.
But civil rights groups and LGBT advocates said dissolving the office responsible for fostering an inclusive campus for all sent the wrong message to students of color and LGBTQ students.
In an email to faculty and staff, as well as in an interview with the Journal Star, Bennett said he believed the centralized approach to improving diversity and inclusion "is no longer right for" UNL.
The decision was made outside of budget discussions, which saw the campus cut funding to the office last year as well as independent of influence from elected leaders, according to Bennett.
A bill (LB1330) introduced at the Legislature last year by Education Committee chairman Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil would have forced UNL to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
"I like to be and I like this university, as the leader of higher education across the state, to be in charge of its own narrative," Bennett said of the decision, which comes as universities in several conservative-led states have made similar moves.
Instead of a centralized office, Bennett said it would fall to UNL's 6,000-plus employees, as well as the students and others, to build "a welcoming environment for all members of our community."
A day after the announcement was made, Gov. Jim Pillen said he was pleased with Bennett's decision.
"Although that office should never have been established in the first place, it takes courage for a leader to recognize a mistake and chart a new direction," Pillen said.
NU regents' meeting records show Pillen made the motion to approve the consent agenda item that included Barker's appointment. He later voted in favor of the hire along with seven other regents. Only Omaha Regent Hal Daub abstained.
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Pillen later led a crusade against critical race theory at NU, joining in a national movement pushed by conservatives in 2021 against the academic theory that views inequalities that stem from racial discrimination.
His resolution to ban the "imposition" of critical race theory failed to be adopted, however, following a lengthy meeting where most students, faculty and alumni spoke against it.
Pillen, along with Regents Paul Kenney of Amherst and Rob Schafer of Beatrice, later pledged to keep fighting against the academic field.
"The work of eliminating (diversity, equity and inclusion) and critical race theory (CRT) from our public institutions is not complete with the elimination of one bureaucratic office, though," Pillen added on Wednesday. "We must continue the work of keeping our university curriculum, programming and its mission free of discrimination or racial preferences in any form."
Two civil rights advocacy groups panned Bennett's decision in their own statements Wednesday as problematic.
Joy Kathurima, legal and policy counsel for the ACLU of Nebraska, said without a firm plan in place for how to continue efforts to make all students and employees welcome on campus, that they viewed Bennett's decision as "deeply troubling."
"We need higher education leaders to do more than talk about fostering a welcoming campus and supporting underrepresented students," Kathurima said in a statement. "They need to walk the walk."
OutNebraska, which advocates for the LGBTQ community in the Cornhusker State, called the development "disappointing."
"This announcement comes only months after Nebraska senators introduced bills targeting diversity and inclusion efforts in public institutions," OutNebraska said. "A clear pattern has emerged across our nation's university systems, including in Nebraska."
Programs serving students of color and LGBTQ students are often the first cut when higher education funding dries up, often ending opportunities and spaces for those individuals, the organization said.
"The need for a 'decentralized approach' from Chancellor Bennett concerns us," said Abbi Swatsworth, OutNebraska's executive director. "His suggestion that a welcoming environment will come about simply by instructing staff and faculty to 'welcome all students' is unconvincing.
"We know this work requires the same care and attention that keeps any university initiative running: staff, funding and institutional support," Swatsworth added.
Pillen, however, signaled he would push NU further to remove taxpayer dollars from programs designed to promote diversity and inclusion.
"I will continue to fight to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used for these purposes, not only in state government, but throughout our university system, too," he said.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will close its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, located in the Canfield Administration Building, this year and eliminate staff positions tied to it.