By Lauren Taylor, The Daily Athenaeum
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey released a statement Friday in response to WVU’s announcement of the closure of its Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Thursday.
Morrisey praised WVU for the closure, calling it a “win” for the state.
“West Virginia University announced that it was eliminating its division of DEI. This is a big win for the Mountain State. I want to applaud WVU for the actions that it’s taken. … I know there’s always a lot of pressure to do the wrong thing here in West Virginia. We’re going to do the right thing, and we’re going to make sure that West Virginia always stands for freedom, the rule of law and the American ideal,” he said in a video posted to X.
The University announced the closure of the DEI Office via a release sent to students’ WVU MIX emails. The announcement referenced Morrisey’s Jan. 14 Executive Order 3-25, “Ordering cessation of DEI,” which bans all state institutions and agencies from using state funding or resources for DEI staff positions, activities, procedures or programs.
The closure also comes as a result of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” according to the release.