Blog 32/ Naming the Storm: Why I Identified the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™
A visual metaphor for the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™—when institutional structures appear intact on the surface while the internal infrastructure supporting belonging and engagement gradually erodes.
Across higher education, many educators and scholars have been sensing that something significant is shifting.
The language around diversity, equity, and inclusion is changing. Programs that once supported belonging and engagement are being restructured, renamed, or quietly deprioritized. Institutional priorities appear to be moving in new directions, often under intense political and policy pressure.
For some observers, these developments appear gradual. For others working inside institutions, the changes feel much more immediate.
Over time, I began to notice patterns that raised important questions about what these shifts might mean for students—particularly students from historically marginalized backgrounds who rely on campus support systems to navigate complex institutional environments.
As both a scholar and a higher education professional, I found myself asking an increasingly urgent question:
What happens to student engagement and belonging when the infrastructure designed to support them begins to erode?
That question ultimately led me to identify what I call the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™.
Observing Institutional Change from Inside Higher Education
Working within higher education provides a unique vantage point. Professionals in student affairs, academic affairs, and campus leadership often experience institutional change not only through formal policy announcements but also through subtle shifts in daily operations.
Across many institutions nationally, several patterns have begun to emerge:
Offices that once focused on diversity and belonging being reorganized, restructured, or in some cases eliminated entirely
Shifts in institutional language surrounding diversity initiatives and student support programs
Reductions in staffing, resources, or operational capacity connected to student engagement efforts
Growing uncertainty about how universities should navigate rapidly evolving political and policy landscapes
Individually, these changes may appear administrative or procedural. But taken together, they begin to reveal something deeper: a gradual transformation in how institutions approach the work of equity, belonging, and student engagement.
For those working closely with students, these shifts are not abstract policy discussions. They shape the environments students encounter when they arrive on campus and influence the systems designed to support their ability to connect, participate, and succeed.
A Concern for the Student Experience
My professional work has always centered on students—particularly their ability to find belonging, build confidence, and engage meaningfully in their educational environments.
Decades of research in higher education emphasize that student engagement and belonging are critical to student success. Scholars such as Alexander Astin and Terrell Strayhorn have demonstrated that students are more likely to persist and thrive when they feel connected to their campus communities.
Yet as institutional structures shift, it becomes increasingly important to ask whether the systems designed to support those connections remain intact.
If belonging infrastructure weakens, students may experience their campus environments differently. Engagement opportunities may become less visible. Mentorship networks may become more fragmented. Programs that once fostered connection may become more difficult to access.
For students navigating predominantly white institutions (PWIs), these dynamics can carry additional significance.
These questions weighed heavily on me as both a practitioner and a researcher.
From Observation to Scholarship
As a doctoral researcher studying student engagement and belonging, I realized that the patterns I was witnessing needed a name.
Scholars often identify and label emerging patterns to help institutions understand complex dynamics that may otherwise remain invisible. Naming a phenomenon allows researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss it clearly and examine its consequences more systematically.
The Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™ emerged from this effort to describe what appears to be happening across many higher education environments with DEI retrenchment.
The concept describes a pattern in which institutions maintain symbolic commitments to diversity and inclusion while the structural programs, staffing, or resources that once sustained these commitments gradually diminish.
In other words, the outward language of diversity may remain present, while the internal infrastructure that supports belonging becomes increasingly hollow.
This phenomenon is not necessarily the result of a single policy decision or institutional action. Rather, it reflects a broader shift occurring across higher education systems navigating new political, financial, and social pressures.
Why Naming Institutional Patterns Matters
Higher education has long relied on scholars to document and interpret institutional change.
Naming patterns does not assign blame to individual institutions or leaders. Instead, it allows researchers and practitioners to understand how systems evolve and how those changes affect the people within them.
Students deserve environments where engagement, mentorship, and belonging are not accidental outcomes but intentional priorities.
By identifying the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™, my goal is not to criticize higher education but to contribute to a broader conversation about the future of student support in American universities.
Understanding what is happening allows educators, policymakers, and institutional leaders to think more carefully about how campuses can continue to serve diverse student populations in meaningful ways.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead into an uncertain landscape: a visual reflection of higher education’s current moment of transition and the emerging realities described by the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™.
Higher education is entering a period of profound transition.
Institutions are navigating political pressures, financial constraints, and shifting expectations about the role universities should play in society. These forces are reshaping policies, structures, and priorities across the country.
For those of us who study higher education while also working within it, these changes are not abstract policy debates. They shape the environments students encounter when they arrive on campus and influence the opportunities available for them to build community, confidence, and engagement.
In moments like this, careful observation and thoughtful scholarship become especially important.
By naming patterns and documenting student experiences, scholars and practitioners can help ensure that conversations about institutional change remain grounded in the realities students face. When patterns go unnamed, they are easier to overlook. When they are named, they can be studied, debated, and addressed.
The work of higher education has always been about preparing students not only to succeed academically but to thrive in complex and evolving environments.
As institutions move forward, the question is not simply whether diversity language remains visible in mission statements or policy documents. The deeper question is whether the infrastructure that supports belonging, engagement, and opportunity for students will remain strong enough to sustain the next generation.
Naming the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™ is one step toward ensuring that the structures supporting students do not quietly disappear beneath the surface.
Remember, bold conversations, brewed fresh - one cup at a time!
Dr. Courtney Nicole Johnson
Founder of CourtneyCoffeeChats
Bold Conversations, Brewed Fresh.
Welcome to The Coffeehouse Collection - where higher education meets heart. Here, you will find Scholarly Sips, Courageous Cups, Life Latte Moments, and Freshly Brewed Reflections - bold conversation and personal insights brewed just for you!
