Aiming to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders, Northeastern instructed faculty in an email sent Jan. 29 around 2 p.m. to report whether their National Science Foundation-funded research involves diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, or DEIA, principles and state that they have ceased related research.
The email, obtained by The Huntington News, states that the university is working to document its compliance to Trump’s executive orders and instructs faculty to respond with information regarding their research and confirmation that any DEIA-related research has ceased.
The message to faculty is one of the latest developments as the university continues to respond to the rapid orders and actions from the Trump administration. In response to Trump’s Jan. 21 executive order, which threatened higher education institutions that had implemented diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Northeastern removed nearly all DEI messaging from its websites and social media platforms. On Jan. 30, the university published an FAQ that will be continually updated to address concerns and confusion about how Northeastern is navigating the impact of Trump’s administration.
Across Northeastern’s 10 colleges and schools, deans and school leadership have sent emails to faculty explaining how Trump’s orders will impact the university, where to find new information and what measures researchers should take to protect their work. In an email sent to College of Science faculty Jan. 31, for instance, leaders of the college told faculty that while new projects are paused, research funded by the National Institutes of Health started before Jan. 20 should “continue as usual.”
Although the Trump administration rescinded its broad Jan. 27 order to freeze all federal funding, the president’s action prohibiting grants for activities related to DEIA as well as environmental justice remains in place.
On Jan. 29, the National Science Foundation, or NSF, published a directive instructing researchers to comply with Trump’s executive orders “by ceasing all non-compliant grant and award activities.”
“In particular, this may include, but is not limited to conferences, trainings, workshops, considerations for staffing and participant selection and any other grant activity that uses or promotes the use of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) principles and frameworks or violates federal anti-discrimination laws,” the NSF directive read.
The NSF funds several areas of scientific and engineering research. In Fiscal Year 2024, Northeastern received roughly $52 million from the organization to fund research projects that included investigating large language models and creating a regional research security center.
Following the NSF’s guidance, Northeastern Associate Vice Provost of Research Administration Dana Carroll emailed faculty notifying them of the NSF’s message, asking them to indicate whether their NSF-funded research required activities related to DEIA, and if it does, to cease the research.
Carroll did not respond to The News’ Jan. 30 request for an interview.
Carroll’s message also requested faculty indicate and cease research requiring Community Benefits Plan — a federal initiative focused on clean energy — and Justice40 activities, an initiative introduced by former President Joe Biden that established a federal government-wide goal to allocate “40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.”
The email was sent just hours after over 430 faculty attended a tense faculty senate meeting which was dominated by conversations about threats to federal research funds and DEI.
One faculty member in the College of Engineering, or COE, who spoke to The News on the condition of anonymity, said they found the university’s instructions to cease DEIA research and removal of DEI messaging “really disappointing.”
“At the university level, it seems like [DEIA] was never really a fundamental tenet if they could so quickly change their tone without even acknowledging it,” said the faculty member, who described their research as “aiming to help an underrepresented group in the job market.”
COE faculty leadership sent an email after the meeting, summarizing the discussion and listing out a series of questions that Assistant Dean of Research and Faculty Development Mariah Nobrega asked university administration. Nobrega’s questions sought clarification on the university’s definition of DEIA and how faculty should navigate submitting proposals with constantly changing criteria for approval.
“Mariah spoke on behalf of COE faculty to express the need for very clear guidance,” the email states.
At the Jan. 29 faculty senate meeting and in statements, university leaders attempted to assure the hundreds of faculty in attendance that the university was not altering its principles found in its academic plan, which “recognizes the power and importance of diversity.”
The research section of the “Navigating a New Political Landscape” — the FAQ page published Jan. 30 by the university — advises faculty to continue their teaching and research “as planned.”
“As recent news shows, this is a fluid situation that we are monitoring carefully — understanding that pauses in new grants are not uncommon at the start of a new administration,” the FAQ reads. “We will evaluate any forthcoming executive orders or pauses if they happen and provide updated guidance when necessary.”
