Keene State College has started to gut its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to comply with new state law.
It’s an all-too familiar tune for many higher education institutions. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has gone on the offensive against U.S. schools and businesses for their efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and some state legislatures have joined in as well.
As a result of the backlash, colleges and universities across the country have taken measures to dismantle DEI on their campuses — some forced by law, others of their own volition.
The changes have taken all manner of appearances: stripping websites and office names of any mention of diversity or equity, striking diversity statements, even shutting programs down altogether.
As of June 20, some 350 colleges in 43 states and the District of Columbia had made changes to their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives since January 2023, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
At Keene State, change has come by force. A provision of Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s recently signed budget bill, which became law on June 27, bars public entities from “implementing, promoting, or otherwise engaging in any diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI-related initiatives, programs, trainings or policies.”
The provision also requires that those entities give information about contracts containing DEI provisions to the NH Department of Administrative Services, which will create a substantive report for review by the governor and Legislature. The budget bill also “provides for the amendment (i.e., removing DEI-related provisions) of non-compliant contracts.”
Keene State’s virtual presence is now void of diversity and equity content. Much of the related language has been scrubbed from the college’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion home page.
On July 3, Keene State’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion mission statement said the college “values diversity in community, curriculum, and co-curriculum,” and views it as essential to innovation and advancement, according to Wayback Machine, which archives internet websites.
“Diversity in perspective, community, ideas, and thoughts are core aspects of innovation and advancement,” the website stated. “As our world becomes more interconnected, it will require creative, innovative thinkers rooted in an understanding of diversity. Keene State is committed to providing educational opportunities to prepare students to meet these challenges.”
As of midday Thursday, the page no longer displays a mission statement.
“In response to this new law, selected college webpages have been temporarily taken offline to permit a thorough review of the college’s programs, policies, and online materials as we plan for how best to foster a campus culture that supports access, belonging, and student success in a way that fully complies with state law,” the website now reads.
Other pages devoted to campus diversity and inclusion measures have also been removed and redirect to the now bare Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion page. These include the pages for the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Office of Student Diversity, Equity and Belonging; chosen first names; gender-neutral bathrooms; religious diversity guidelines and KSC Pride, an LGBTQ+ student affinity group.
Paul Miller, director of strategic communications for Keene State, referred a request for comment to officials from the University System of New Hampshire.
In a June 30 email to Keene State faculty and staff about updates from the most recent USNH board meeting, college President Melinda Treadwell said her institution is in conversation with the university system.
“We are working with USNH General Counsel’s Office to understand what remaining in compliance means for our campuses, and we will communicate what we learn to teams here at Keene State,” she said.
USNH, which comprises Keene State, Plymouth State and the University of New Hampshire, said in a statement that work has been underway for months at Keene State in anticipation of the new law. Similar processes are ongoing at UNH and Plymouth State.
“Several web pages have been paused while the review continues. Also, some position responsibilities and titles have been changed,” the statement said. It did not specify the webpages or positions in question.
USNH schools are “committed to fostering learning and working environments in which all members are embraced and are provided with many pathways to success,” and they are required to do so within the bounds of the new law, the statement said.
The website pause was put in place proactively, the statement said, as Keene State wants to avoid financial penalties due to the “broad language” of the budget provision, the statement said. Assessment of the pages’ content is ongoing as the law continues to be interpreted, and further adjustments are going to be made as needed.
At a Keene State DEI Commission meeting in February, Dottie Morris, the college’s associate vice president for institutional equity and diversity, said the commission was strategizing how to address the nationwide attacks on DEI while continuing to advance diversity initiatives, Keene State’s student newspaper The Equinox reported at the time.
Morris referred a request for comment to Miller, who in turn referred it to the University System of New Hampshire.
USNH schools were asked to create committees to identify programs that focused on DEI, Morris said in the article.
The President’s Outstanding Women of New Hampshire Awards, which just celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2025, could also be at risk, Morris indicated in the article.
The webpage dedicated to the awards had been removed from Keene State’s website at the time of publishing.
In February, Morris said in the Equinox article that she opposed any potential changes to her title, and that she pushed back “very hard” on the matter. Her staff page also no longer exists on the college’s website, and for that reason it is unclear if her title has been changed.
The updated Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website indicates that more information about changes to DEI at Keene State will be available at the beginning of the fall semester.
This article is being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.
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