Until recently, it was a little-known program to help Black and Latino students pursue business degrees.

But in January, conservative strategist Christopher Rufo flagged the program known as The PhD Project in social media posts that caught the attention of Republican politicians. The program is now at the center of a Trump administration campaign to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education.

The U.S. Education Department last week said it was investigating dozens of universities for alleged racial discrimination, citing ties to the nonprofit organization. That followed a warning a month earlier that schools could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life.

The investigations left some school leaders startled and confused, wondering what prompted the inquiries. Many scrambled to distance themselves from The PhD Project, which has aimed to help diversify the business world and higher education faculty.

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Widespread Impact on Higher Education

The rollout of the investigations highlights the climate of fear and uncertainty in higher education, which President Donald Trump’s administration has begun policing for policies that run afoul of his agenda even as he moves to dismantle the Education Department.

The 45 colleges under investigation for ties to the organization include public universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of California, Berkeley, along with private schools like Yale, Cornell, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Colleges Respond to Pressure

Some colleges moved swiftly to stop working with The PhD Project. The University of Kentucky said it severed ties with the nonprofit on Monday. The University of Wyoming said its college of business was affiliated with the group to develop its graduate student pipeline, but it plans to discontinue its membership.

At the University of California, Berkeley, hundreds of faculty gathered to protest, with Professor Ula Taylor stating, “This is a fight that can be summed up in five words: Academic freedom is under assault.”

Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons emphasized the importance of academic freedom, saying, “A Berkeley without academic freedom, without freedom of inquiry, without freedom of expression is simply not Berkeley.”

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Associated Press writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report.

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