Blog 34/ Brewing Bold Insights: Three Emerging Dimensions of the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™
The walls still stand. The foundation is fading.
A visual reflection of the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™ — a moment when institutions preserve the appearance of diversity while dismantling the structures that once sustained it.
Across the United States, the national conversation surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has entered a new phase—one defined not simply by debate, but by structural transformation. In recent months, policy developments at the state, local, and institutional levels reveal a pattern that I describe in my research as the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™.
Introduced in 2025, the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™ refers to the institutional pattern in which organizations maintain symbolic commitments to diversity while gradually dismantling the formal structures, roles, protections, and resources that once supported diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The result is a system in which the language of inclusion may persist, yet the infrastructure designed to operationalize that language quietly disappears.
Recent developments across the country demonstrate how this phenomenon is unfolding simultaneously across multiple levels of governance.
State Policy: Proposed legislation in Florida restricting funding for DEI programs highlights how state policy decisions are influencing the structural landscape of diversity initiatives across public institutions.
State-Level Policy: Legislative Restrictions on DEI Infrastructure
At the state level, legislation proposed in Florida would prohibit cities and counties from funding DEI programs, maintaining DEI offices, or employing inclusion officers (CBS Miami Team, 2026). The bill would also allow individuals to bring legal action against local governments that violate these provisions.
Supporters of the legislation argue that such initiatives represent unnecessary government spending or ideological programming. Critics warn that the bill’s broad language may create uncertainty for local governments and discourage civic programming intended to support historically marginalized communities.
Within the framework of the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™, this policy development illustrates an important shift: the removal of structural infrastructure while symbolic recognition of diversity often remains intact. Cultural observances and acknowledgments may continue, but the administrative systems designed to sustain equity initiatives are increasingly targeted for elimination.
In other words, diversity may remain visible in language and ceremony even as institutional mechanisms supporting it are dismantled.
Local Governance: Scottsdale, Arizona’s decision to dismantle its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion demonstrates how municipal policy shifts are reshaping DEI infrastructure at the community level.
Local Governance: Scottsdale’s Decision to Defund DEI
The phenomenon is also visible at the local level. In Scottsdale, Arizona, the city council voted to discontinue funding for its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including DEI programming, training initiatives, and related administrative structures (Scanlon, 2025).
Despite the elimination of the city’s DEI office, local officials emphasized that diversity continues to be valued within the community. This juxtaposition reflects a hallmark feature of the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™: the coexistence of symbolic commitment and structural retrenchment.
Organizations may publicly affirm the importance of diversity while simultaneously eliminating the institutional infrastructure that operationalized those commitments.
As someone who lives and works in Arizona, observing these developments locally prove how policy decisions are reshaping the practical realities of diversity work in communities across the country.
Institutional Level: A recent case at the University of Iowa illustrates how higher education institutions are navigating evolving DEI policy restrictions, reflecting the institutional dimension of the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™.
Institutional Response: Navigating DEI Restrictions in Higher Education
The institutional dimension of the phenomenon can also be seen in higher education. A recent report involving the University of Iowa described how a university employee was demoted following the release of an undercover video discussing ways universities might continue diversity-related work amid new restrictions on DEI policies (KCRG Staff, 2026).
The situation highlights the complex institutional tensions that arise when policy shifts intersect with long-standing commitments to student support and campus inclusion initiatives. Staff members and administrators may find themselves navigating increasingly restrictive regulatory environments while attempting to maintain services that historically supported diverse student populations.
Within the framework of the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™, such incidents reveal the institutional consequences of structural dismantling. When formal infrastructure disappears, the work itself often becomes informal, ambiguous, or vulnerable to political scrutiny.
Understanding the Emerging Pattern
Taken together, these three developments illustrate how the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™ is emerging across multiple levels of governance.
At the state level, legislation redefines the legal boundaries surrounding diversity initiatives.
At the local level, municipalities reconsider funding structures and administrative offices.
At the institutional level, universities and staff navigate the resulting tensions between policy compliance and student support.
These developments are not isolated incidents. They represent a broader structural shift in how public institutions respond to evolving political and policy environments surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Naming and analyzing these patterns is essential for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to understand the future trajectory of diversity work in higher education and public institutions.
The conversation surrounding DEI is far from over. If anything, it is entering a more complex and consequential chapter one where symbolic language may remain visible even as institutional infrastructure continues to recede.
Later this month, I will be presenting research related to the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™ at the annual conference of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE).
In moments of institutional transition, scholarship plays a critical role in helping us recognize patterns that might otherwise go unnamed. The Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™ offers one framework for understanding the evolving landscape of diversity work in the United States.
And as the national conversation continues to unfold, one thing is clear: the structures surrounding DEI may be changing, but the questions about equity, access, and institutional responsibility remain as urgent as ever.
References
CBS Miami Team. (2026, March 11). Florida bill banning DEI initiatives heads to DeSantis. Here's what that means for local governments. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-bill-banning-dei-initiatives-heads-to-desantis/
KCRG Staff. (2026, March 11). University of Iowa employee demoted after undercover DEI video. KCRG News. https://www.kcrg.com/2026/03/11/university-iowa-employee-demoted-after-undercover-dei-video/
Scanlon, T. (2025, February 16). Protests fly as Scottsdale defunds DEI. Scottsdale Progress. https://www.scottsdale.org
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