In-Depth Report Details “Critical Social Justice” Saturation At UTK
Image Credit: Velocity Convergence
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
On February 14th, a report titled Critical Social Justice in Tennessee Higher Education: An Overview was released by The Claremont Institute, Idaho Freedom Foundation and Velocity Convergence detailing the rapid spread of Critical Social Justice (CSJ) in Tennessee’s 11 public universities.
Today, February 17th, the same group has released their in-depth study of the saturation of Critical Social Justice (CSJ) at the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus.
Susan Kaestner, founding director of Velocity Convergence, said “UTK is going as woke as any university in the country. Its CSJ-dedicated culture has spread at an alarming speed since Spring 2019, with an unprecedented hiring spree at the administrative level reaching down into the details of every department.”
According to Kaestner, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is nearly full-grown at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) but she warns that it is also growing throughout Tennessee’s higher education institutions.
The report states that CSJ is “based on a distorted view of what a human being is, compromising the pursuit of truth and corrupting institutions that adopt it. It cultivates resentment and anger among the supposedly aggrieved while undermining the stability, equal treatment, and mutual toleration that contributes to individual happiness and good citizenship. It undermines the integrity of institutions that adopt it, in that employees worry that factors other than merit lead to advancement.”
The Tennessee Legislature was relatively early in seeing the threat CSJ poses to the American way of life. It defunded the Office of Equity and Diversity at UTK in May 2016 to signal its displeasure with the school’s direction.
UTK has nevertheless transformed its mission in the years since the Tennessee Legislature acted. It integrates CSJ into all facets of its operations by requiring chancellors, deans, and departments to promote it.
UTK has made changes in hiring policies, general education requirements, and student life to advance this ideology.
UTK’s administration has built a significant diversity bureaucracy into all aspects of its operation.
The report outlines UTK’s transformation in several ways:
• UTK’s spending on CSJ administrators went from nothing in 2017 to well over $1.8 million in 2020.
• In 2017, UTK had no upper level administrators dedicated to advancing CSJ. By 2021, UTK had at least 26 administrators responsible for it, including a vice chancellor, an associate vice chancellor, and approximately 12 deans.
• All academic units — from colleges to departments — have developed Diversity Action Plans during the 2020-2021 school year. Hiring, recruitment, retention strategies, community outreach, and curriculum are being transformed across UTK as a result.
• UTK undertook a revision of its General Education curriculum to emphasize “service learning” and “global citizenship,” which signals that UTK’s commitment to progressive political activism is being sown into the curriculum.
• At least 26 departments at UTK embrace CSJ.
• Campus speakers sponsored by the university are almost exclusively left-wing and proponents of CSJ.
The report warns that, “UTK is going as woke as any university in the country. Its CSJ-dedicated culture has spread at an alarming speed since Spring 2019, with an unprecedented hiring spree at the administrative level reaching down into the details of every department.”
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However, the authors of the report state that there is hope to stop UTK’s transformative agenda.
“These bureaucracies are relatively new and concerted, so dedicated political action could force change back to UTK’s core educational mission. UTK will continue to radicalize unless the political institutions of Tennessee force change, such as through budgetary and administrative reforms,” the authors state.
The authors conclude that, “Only Tennessee’s legislative and executive branches can stop UTK from pursuing this transformative agenda, since the past four years reveal what UTK will do without political oversight. The time for action is now.”
Kaestner states, “No one person is responsible for this trend. No one person can stop it. Those pushing this ideology hope to change Tennessee’s culture and its values. But this DEI mission does not advance the common good or the cause of knowledge. Reform is unlikely to happen from within. Only the Tennessee’s legislature can leverage change in Tennessee higher education. This is going to require a concerted and persistent effort.”
Download the full report “Critical Social Justice at University of Tennessee Knoxville: A Case Study” HERE.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
Someone explain why taxpayer money is being spent on this critical race theory being studied??? it is illegal in TN. Someone should be arrested if they continue to push this crap
Why aren’t Tennessee’s Legislatures doing anything to stop the spread of Communism in the educational cesspools called Universities ?
We have known about this betrayal of liberty for a long time now . Why haven’t our legislators cut off the money to University of Tennessee already and stop subsidizing this Communist Infestation with Tennessee’s tax dollars ? I am appalled that no one has even tried . And if they have , I’d like to know who the ones are that side with this Marxism .
I don’t understand what this article is talking about when it says no one person can stop this and doesn’t name who the people are that are responsible for this racist Marxist attack upon our educational system .
I smell a rat !!! This doesn’t pass the sniff test at all. Is it the Deep State and RINOs again ? What do you mean there is nothing anyone can do about this this disaster ?. Horse Hockey !!!!
Go for the jugular and cut off the appropriations and subsidies to this disgrace unless they get rid of the Communists in these ” Higher Education ” rats’ nests and fire all the Communists and cut ties to the Communist Chinese .
This is a total disgrace if you want my opinion.
All Funding should be cut off now until these people are fired and this garbage/ poison is stopped.