After former UW-Madison chief diversity officer LaVar Charleston was demoted due to a pattern of “poor decision-making,” the Trump Administration started crackdowns on DEI in universities across the country, and a report released by the state legislature revealed that the Universities of Wisconsin failed to track spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, UW-Madison and UW Health have made changes to DEI on campus.
Charleston had served as the director of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement, so Provost Charles Isbell Jr. was named to temporarily lead the DDEEA until an interim director could be found. As of June 2nd, a replacement for Charleston still had not been hired.
However, UW-Madison created a new position called “special advisor for access and community” to “advise leadership in the development of the university’s overall plans regarding access and community.” Professor and associate dean Percival Matthews was appointed to the role and will “report directly to the chancellor and provost.”
Matthews leads the School of Education’s Center for Community and Well-Being, which was preceded by the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The CCWB occupies the same office space as the OEDI did.
