Trump Administration Launches Investigation Into CSU San Bernardino

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — At California State University, San Bernardino, where 90 percent of students identify as a race other than white, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump alleges the campus could be engaging in racial preferences to help students of color achieve doctoral degrees.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced it opened investigations into 45 universities nationwide, including CSUSB.

The investigations come amid allegations by the Trump administration that the universities violated Title VI of 1964's Civil Rights Act by partnering with "The Ph.D. Project."

According to a bio from the nonprofit New Jersey-based organization, The Ph.D. Project was founded in 1994 "to increase diversity in the business world. Through its unique model, the nonprofit organization’s Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic American and Native American members pursue business PhDs with the intent to become university faculty, teaching and guiding students who aspire to a career in business."

The Ph.D. Project boasts of helping more than 1,700 former business professionals and undergraduate students attain their doctoral degrees.

In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Amy Bentley-Smith, a spokeswoman for the California State University system, said, "CSU has recently learned of the investigations and will be reviewing and seeking to understand the nature of the claim and will cooperate with the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights in any investigation. The CSU continues to comply with longstanding applicable federal and state laws and CSU policies and does not discriminate or provide preferences on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin."

The investigation into CSUSB comes after the Trump administration issued a Feb. 14 “dear colleague” letter threatening to revoke federal funding to schools that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The Department of Education gave colleges and schools with race-specific programs until the end of February to abolish them or risk losing funding.

"The department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this nation’s educational institutions," read last month's letter signed by Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary of the Department of Education's civil rights division.

In Friday's announcement, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, "Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment."

Most of the CSUSB's student body and San Bernardino County residents identify as a race other than white.

According to fall 2024 demographics from CSUSB, 70% of students on campus identify as Hispanic, 10% as white, 6% as Asian, 5% as African American, 3% as non-resident foreign students, 3% as two or more races, and less than 1% as Native American/Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Another 4% were listed as unknown.

Less than 1% of the CSUSB student body are doctoral students, and 13% are pursuing a master's degree, according to the fall 2024 university data.

In San Bernardino County, 56% of residents are Latino or Hispanic, 25% white, 9% Black, 9% Asian, 3% Native American/Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 4% are two or more races, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

In addition to CSUSB, two other California universities were named Friday as being under investigation by the Trump administration for alleged DEI policies: University of California, Berkeley, and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Both campuses are partners with The Ph.D. Project.

As part of a mass Department of Education "reduction in force" announced last week, hundreds of civil rights attorneys were let go, leading to closures of regional offices throughout the nation, including in California.