It’s a familiar narrative: State universities in conservative states are being infiltrated by administrators and faculty pushing progressive policies and courses. Earlier this year, Jonathan Small highlighted how “wokeness” was taking root at the University of Oklahoma in an article for the Martin Center. Another state engaged in this ideological battle is Tennessee.
Historical Context
The ideological conflict at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) began in 2016. Frustrated by various programs and policies from UTK’s Office of Diversity and Equity, the state legislature cut the office’s funding. This action seemed to send a clear message that voters and representatives did not support the ideological zealotry within their state university.
However, progressive factions often disregard limits imposed by democracy, property rights, or contracts, convinced of their moral righteousness. In education, this translates to pushing ideological beliefs and marginalizing dissenters. After the 2016 funding cut, UTK’s senior vice chancellor John Zomchik in 2018 called for academic units to include “statements in their bylaws that reflect a commitment to diversity and inclusion.” He further required integrating diversity into all academic efforts and staffing search committees with diversity-committed members.
Escalation of DEI Initiatives
Despite potential legislative backlash, Zomchik’s directives led to the appointment of Tyvi Small as vice chancellor for diversity, further entrenching the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) agenda at UTK. According to Professor Scott Yenor’s article, “Rocky Top Goes Woke,” the DEI bureaucracy expanded rapidly. In 2018, UTK had no DEI administrators; by 2021, it had at least 26, with salaries exceeding $1.8 million.
The university also revised its General Education curriculum to emphasize “service learning” and “global citizenship,” embedding progressive political activism into the curriculum. John Sailer of the National Association of Scholars examined this transformation, quoting UTK’s chancellor Donde Plowman, who emphasized addressing “systemic racism and injustice.” Plowman recommended reading Ibram X. Kendi’s book, How to be an Antiracist, as a first step.
Implementation of DEI Policies
In June 2020, Plowman announced that all UTK academic units were developing “Diversity Action Plans” to align with her vision. These plans, obtained through a public records request, reveal a blueprint for institutional overhaul towards DEI. The plans include DEI course and curriculum audits, DEI statements on syllabi, DEI learning outcomes, and “critical consciousness” assessments. The College of Social Work even created a social justice minor focused on Critical Race Theory (CRT).
The DEI focus extends to faculty hiring and promotion, with explicit consideration of DEI work in performance reviews, even in the School of Engineering. This policy discourages faculty from criticizing diversity initiatives and screens out potential dissenters from faculty positions.
Academic units must revise their curricula to ensure “the inclusion of intercultural perspectives and issues relating to social justice, equity, and the elimination of bias.” Professors need to scrutinize their materials for anything potentially offensive to sensitive students. For instance, law courses might exclude controversial cases like Dred Scott, while business students learn about the “value of diversity and inclusion.” Faculty in the College of Communication and Information must incorporate implicit bias, antiracism, and allyship curricula.
To enforce these DEI policies, UTK has created bias incident reporting systems, which activists can use to punish faculty or students expressing dissenting views. This system stifles free speech and ensures conformity to DEI ideology.
The Consequences
Sailer concludes that DEI has become a “new de facto core curriculum” at UTK, indicating a profound shift in the university’s values. No department has resisted Plowman’s DEI mandates, demonstrating the extent of DEI advocates’ infiltration.
The Left’s “long march through the institutions,” aiming to turn them into activists against Western Civilization, has captured UTK in the past six years. This transformation undermines the principles of open inquiry and academic freedom, imposing a specific set of ideas on the institution.
Imagine the reaction if a religious group took over a state university and enforced their beliefs throughout the institution. Such an act would be widely condemned. Yet, the ideological takeover at UTK has faced little resistance.
A Call to Action
Do Tennessee citizens want to fund a “woke” university? Likely not, but unless the state legislature intervenes, they will continue to do so.
George Leef, Director of Editorial Content at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, urges the legislature to take action against this ideological imposition to uphold the values of open inquiry and academic freedom at UTK.
