UC System Provost Katherine Newman wrote in a letter to campuses on March 19, 2025 that the UC Regents have directed campuses to end the practice of using diversity statements in hiring:
I write at the request of President Drake to let you know about a decision by the UC Board of Regents to change the University’s practices with respect to recruitments. After thoughtful review, the Board has directed President Drake to take action to ensure that diversity statements are no longer required for new recruitments.
While the beginning of the letter says that such statements are no longer required, later the letter explicitly bars them:
To be clear, stand-alone diversity statements will no longer be permitted in recruitments...
To be clear, according to UCOP guidance, even optional diversity statements are now against policy.
Optional stand-alone statements are not permitted because candidates may perceive this to be a requirement and infer that the non-submission of a statement could be a detriment to their candidacy…
Statements may be used in promotion cases:
As you know, there is a systemwide policy, Academic Personnel Manual (APM) 210-1.d, that enables faculty members who engage in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in their teaching, research, and service to be recognized for these contributions during the academic review process. This policy was developed in close consultation with the UC Academic Senate and will remain in place.
The rationale for the policy change, according to the letter, is:
The Regents determined this announcement was necessary because some programs, departments, and recruitments have required diversity statements as part of hiring processes despite the fact that the University of California has never maintained such a system wide policy. The requirement to submit a diversity statement may lead applicants to focus on an aspect of their candidacy that is outside their expertise or prior experience. The Regents stated that our values and commitment to our mission have not changed. We can continue to effectively serve our communities from a variety of life experiences, backgrounds, and points of view without requiring diversity statements.
The full letter is available here.