The Denver Gazette

CU renames DEI office ‘Office of Collaboration’

BY ALEXANDER EDWARDS The Denver Gazette

The University of Colorado has apparently renamed its diversity, equity and inclusion office to the “Office of Collaboration.”

An X user spotted the move and posted it on the social media platform, calling it a “new one.”

The name change appears to be driven by President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the federal government and across other institutions in the United States. He issued a pair of executive orders Tuesday requiring such programs to be dismantled in a bid to restore “merit-based opportunity” in the country.

“These illegal DEI and DEIA policies also threaten the safety of American men, women, and children across the nation,” the executive order said. These offices diminish “the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination when selecting people for jobs and services.”

Some companies quickly followed the executive order and appear to have shut down DEI offices. Others, like wholesale giant Costco, have not.

On the federal level, employees have been ordered to report efforts to “disguise” DEI offices through various name changes or otherwise. Other businesses and institutions, like CU, have opted to rename their offices and change the language on their websites.

The University of Colorado did not directly respond to questions. Instead, a spokesperson referred to a webpage online, which contains “all comment we’ll be making on this at this time.”

“This week numerous executive orders and federal directives were released.

The University of Colorado’s legal team and Office of Federal Government Relations are working to analyze the potential impact on all four of our campuses,” the statement said. “The University of Colorado remains Colorado’s university. That means our job is to serve all of Colorado’s communities, with their many differences and perspectives.”

CU’s former webpage for DEI was displaying a “page not found” message on Friday.

Colorado State University, meanwhile, still had its DEI page on its website as of Friday afternoon.

COLORADO POLITICS

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2025-01-25T08:00:00.0000000Z

2025-01-25T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://daily.denvergazette.com/article/281732685160761

The Gazette, Colorado Springs