The Wharton School’s Huntsman Hall at the University of Pennsylvania. Courtesy photo

Wharton Rebrands Its DEI Programs

If you’re heading to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and looking for their undergrad concentration or MBA major in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), you won’t find it under that name any longer.

The Daily Pennsylvanian just announced that entire DEI program pages have been removed from Penn’s websites, including references to disciplines like anthropology, gender studies, and sociology that used to count toward credit.

The school has rebranded its former DEI programs to “Leading Across Differences,” a change tied to Penn’s broader shift away from DEI language due to policies enacted by 1968 Wharton graduate and U.S. President Donald Trump.

PENN ONE OF MANY TO REBRAND DEI

The DEI programs at Penn were launched in 2022, with their first graduates crossing the stage in 2024. While the rebrand might broaden the program’s scope, it’s sparking questions across the university about balancing compliance, leadership training, and the mission of inclusion in academia.

President Trump has argued that DEI programs prioritize identity over merit and even enable “reverse discrimination.” He believes they create division and burden institutions that should focus on “colorblind” meritocratic policies. He adds his stance was central to his broader push against the “woke agenda.”

Other top universities are also rebranding their DEI programs in response, like Rice University, which now calls their DEI office the “Office of Access and Institutional Excellence.” Similarly, the University of Tennessee renamed their DEI initiative the “Division of Access and Engagement,” shifting its focus to include economic diversity and support for first-generation students.

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