The governor of Tennessee says the University of Memphis is canceling a program that offered financial incentives to professors for infusing “social justice” into their courses.
Gov. Bill Lee (R., Tenn.) contacted the public university immediately after learning about the new program, first reported on by the Washington Free Beacon, which offered faculty $3,000 to redesign their curricula to align with the university’s “diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice” commitments. The governor said the program will not be carried out.
“The University of Memphis informed my office that the initiative will not move forward,” Lee told the Free Beacon. “We welcome robust debate on college campuses, but taxpayer dollars should never be used to fuel a divisive, radical agenda.”
“Ending this program was the right decision, and I thank the university for hearing our concerns,” Lee said.