When Mnookin announced the dissolution of DDEEA this summer, the chancellor said “diversity of all kinds, including diversity of viewpoint and diversity of identity and background, remains a core value of our university.”
“We must create the conditions here, including through programs and support services, that allow all of our students, faculty and staff to flourish and to reach their full potential,” Mnookin said in a campus message.
She cited a recent report about the “undergraduate student experience,” which recommended ways UW-Madison can better support more students, particularly first-generation students and those who need financial assistance.
“Given the evolution of our support ecosystem, legal shifts in permissible focus and the resource intensive nature of DDEEA programs, we strongly believe the time has come to consider reorganization,” an ad hoc working group said in the report.
More than 1,600 students — fewer than 5% of all undergraduates — participated in DDEEA programs in the spring, the report says. Fewer than 10 employees working in the division received layoff notices, Lucas said.