How much do NC public universities spend on DEI efforts? Here’s what they report.

Korie Dean
·7 min read

The UNC System Board of Governors is expected to vote May 23 on a proposed policy that would eliminate existing requirements on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, efforts across North Carolina’s public universities.

The policy would get rid of existing mandates, among other requirements, that each school employ a top-level administrator to oversee diversity and inclusion efforts. If the board approves the proposal, chancellors of the state’s public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics would be required, by Sept. 1, to report any cuts to existing jobs and DEI spending that result from implementing the policy.

Through public records requests, The N&O received annual reports that detail how much money universities currently spend on diversity and inclusion and how many people spend at least half of their work time on the efforts. The reports represent 14 of the state’s 17 public campuses, from large flagships to historically Black universities to smaller, regional schools.

The information reflects the most recent reports the schools submitted to their boards of trustees. Seven universities, representing the majority that fulfilled The N&O’s request, provided the reports from the 2021-22 fiscal year, which were generally submitted to their respective trustee boards last summer. Three universities provided reports from the 2022-23 fiscal year, and two provided reports from the 2020-21 fiscal year.

In general — both in the UNC System and in higher education more broadly — the amount of money universities spend on diversity-related jobs and other efforts tend to account for a small portion of their overall budgets.

Here’s what the reports show about DEI-related jobs and spending at public universities in North Carolina.

East Carolina University

East Carolina University’s report was based on the 2022-23 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees in February.

The report shows that the university spent a total of more than $1.4 million on DEI efforts, including:

  • $1,268,727 in personnel expenditures, which funded 19 positions across the university.

  • $166,061 in non-personnel expenditures.

NC Central University

North Carolina Central University’s report was based on the 2021-22 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees last June.

The report shows that the university spent about $200,000 on DEI efforts, including:

  • $157,341 in personnel expenditures, which funded two positions at the university. The funds primarily came from non-state sources.

  • $45,088 in non-personnel expenditures, all of which came from non-state sources.

NC A&T State University

NC A&T State University’s report was based on the 2019-20 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees in April 2021.

The report does not include information on the amount of money the university spent on DEI efforts, but it shows 11 DEI-related positions of employment at the university.

NC School of Science and Mathematics

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics’ report covers the 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscal years. It was submitted to the school’s Board of Trustees in May 2022.

The report shows that the school spent about $152,000 on DEI efforts, including:

  • $136,686 in personnel expenditures, which covered the salary and benefits for the school’s chief diversity officer.

  • $15,000 in non-personnel expenditures, entirely from non-state funds.

NC State University

NC State University’s report was based on the 2022-23 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees in March.

The report shows that the university spent more than $3.4 million on DEI efforts, including:

  • $1,677,077 in personnel expenditures, which funded 27 positions at the university.

  • $1,740,600 in non-personnel expenditures, most of which was funded by non-state sources.

NC State noted in its report that its spending on diversity and inclusion personnel, operations and activities amounted “to less than one fifth of 1 percent (0.17%) of the total University budget.”

UNC Asheville

UNC Asheville’s report was based on the 2021-22 fiscal year. The report shows that the university spent about $463,000 on DEI efforts, all of which was used for personnel expenditures and funded eight positions.

UNC-Chapel Hill

UNC-Chapel Hill’s report was based on the 2021-22 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees last July.

The report shows that the university spent more than $2.3 million on DEI efforts, including:

  • $1,823,094 in personnel expenditures, which funded 25 positions at the university.

  • $508,612 in non-personnel expenditures.

Ahead of the Board of Governors’ vote on its proposed policy, the UNC Board of Trustees voted to redirect all of the university’s DEI spending to police and public safety efforts.

UNC Chief Financial Officer Nate Knuffman previously told the board that the university’s spending on diversity-related personnel was only “a small fraction of the university overall spending on personnel.”

UNC Charlotte

UNC Charlotte’s report was based on the 2021-22 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees last June.

The report shows that the university spent more than $1.6 million on DEI efforts, including:

  • $1,266,239 in personnel expenditures, which funded 15 positions at the university.

  • $371,192 in non-personnel expenditures.

UNC Greensboro

UNC Greensboro’s report was based on the 2021-22 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees last June.

The report shows that the university spent about $215,000 on DEI efforts, including:

  • $197,402 in personnel expenditures, which funded five positions at the university.

  • $17,382 in non-personnel expenditures.

UNC Pembroke

UNC Pembroke’s report was based on the 2021-22 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees in December 2022.

The report shows that the university spent about $1.6 million on DEI efforts, including:

  • $1,148,729 in personnel expenditures, which funded 17 positions at the university.

  • $415,520 in non-personnel expenditures.

UNC School of the Arts

The UNC School of the Arts’ report was based on the 2020-21 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees in September 2022.

The report stated that no university employees at that time spent at least half of their time dedicated to DEI. Instead, “responsibilities are spread over many employees in multiple departments.”

The school hired its first associate vice chancellor and vice provost for equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging early last year.

UNC Wilmington

UNC Wilmington’s report was based on the 2021-22 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees last June.

The report shows that the university spent about $1.3 million on DEI efforts, including:

  • $1,011,442 in personnel expenditures, which funded 10 positions at the university.

  • $291,898 in non-personnel expenditures.

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina University’s report was based on the 2022-23 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees in February.

The report shows that the university spent about $781,000 on DEI efforts, including:

  • $646,325 in personnel expenditures, which funded nine positions at the university.

  • $134,816 in non-personnel expenditures.

Winston-Salem State University

Western Carolina University’s report was based on the 2020-21 fiscal year. It was submitted to the university’s Board of Trustees in August 2022.

The university reported no positions for that year in which employees spent at least half of their work time dedicated to DEI. The university also did not report non-personnel spending on the efforts.

“Nevertheless, individuals are performing and supporting DEI work in spaces across campus and in the community. Data on efforts like serving as advisors to DEI-focused organizations or efforts utilizing strategies to make culturally appropriate connections with students are not requested nor provided for this report,” the report stated. “As such, the focus on (DEI)-based positions should not be interpreted as minimization or devaluation of the efforts of those working in (DEI) spaces daily.”