The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees voted May 15 to abolish five degree programs, including bachelor’s degrees in Gender & Women’s Studies and African American & Diaspora Studies. However, the university retains many of the same DEI-related classes under new department names, maintaining core ideological content in the curriculum.
Though the eliminated DEI majors produced just 20 graduates over five years, the university continues to offer multiple courses this coming fall, such as Intro to Gender/Women’s Studies, Gender & Religion, and Race, Gender, Media, and Rhetoric. The department formerly known as the School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice now operates as the Department of American Cultural Studies, preserving its academic infrastructure.
These changes come after Wyoming’s legislature passed a law banning state-funded DEI programs in public universities. In response, the University disbanded its DEI office but pledged to maintain student-support services—reassigning those functions amid structural changes. University President Ed Seidel emphasized that some services previously identified as DEI were misclassified and will remain under different guises.
Despite these adjustments, critics argue the removal is largely symbolic. DEI-aligned classes and faculty structures persist, with no significant reforms to ideological content. Though the DEI office is officially shut, the university confirmed that student services under its purview will continue, either via realignment or private funding.
