The College Fix

Internal financial review reveals concerns about ‘fiscal judgments’ in DEI division, school says

The University of Wisconsin, Madison, has initiated a “leadership change” in its Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement due to financial concerns.

The school announced in a news release that LaVar Charleston “will leave his role as vice chancellor and return to his backup appointment as a clinical professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in the School of Education.”

According to school officials, Charleston’s removal from his position came about after “an ongoing internal review of DDEEA’s finances has revealed areas of concern about financial operations and fiscal judgments in the division.”

Provost Charles Isbell “will serve as acting director” of the school’s DEI department. Isbell will serve in this position “until an interim director is appointed,” the school stated.

John Butcher, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, raised concerns about Charleston and his new position in an email to The Fix.

Charleston has been accused of several instances of plagiarism throughout his career. According to reports, he has presented “old studies as new research” at least five times in addition to other instances of plagiarism.

“If they truly believe…that DEI has something positive to offer—despite its clearly discriminatory practices—then plagiarizing research is a terrible way to represent the issue,” Butcher told The Fix.

Charleston’s new position in the education department will involve working with future teachers. “The plagiarism is certainly the worst example for students and casts a pall over the research from these academics,” Butcher said.

The College Fix attempted to contact Charleston (pictured) but received an automated reply stating that he “will be out of the office on leave until mid-April.”

MORE: Education Department puts staff on leave over DEI ties

Despite the change in leadership, the school stated, “Events, programs, and services…will continue under Isbell’s leadership” and “there should be no direct impact on students in DDEEA programs.”

The DDEEA aims to “increase access for underrepresented minorities in STEM,” “eliminate the achievement gap between majority and underrepresented students,” “recruit and retain a more diverse faculty and staff,” and “enhance the campus climate for inclusion,” according to the division’s webpage.

When reached for comment, John Lucas, the university’s vice chancellor for public affairs, directed The College Fix back to the school’s news release.

The Fix also attempted to contact the DDEEA and Isbell twice via email in the last week but received no reply.

UW-Madison is not the only university to face problems within DEI departments. Diversity groups throughout the U.S. have faced increased scrutiny in the last couple of years.

Butcher, with the Heritage Foundation, told The Fix there are now “13 states where an executive order, piece of legislation, or university policy has either prohibited or otherwise blocked DEI.”

Such policies, he said, have been enacted due to “racial discrimination and ineffectiveness” within DEI.

“It is altogether common today to find that policymakers are prohibiting the use of taxpayer spending on DEI on college campuses,” Butcher said.

Further, President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order banning DEI in federal programs, leading schools such as Rutgers University to cancel events due to lack of funding.

Still, UW-Madison officials report that “the university remains steadfastly committed to ensuring all students and employees are offered the opportunity to thrive and find a sense of belonging on campus.”

MORE: DEI courses consume 40 million hours of undergrad time: report

IMAGE: UW-Madison/Youtube

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