This communication is to inform our campus partners of recent changes to the federal mandate for affirmative action programs for women and minorities.
The UCR Office of Civil Rights update:
Executive Order 14173, titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," was signed by President Donald Trump on January 21, 2025. Among other things, the order eliminated the federal mandate for affirmative action programs for women and minorities.
This new Executive Order does not change our legal obligations to prevent discrimination under federal and state laws (such as Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act). It also does not change our legal obligation for affirmative action for individuals with disabilities (IWDs) and protected veterans. However, the new executive order does impact the university.
As a result of this Executive Order, UC revised its job announcement taglines on the job postings and UCR job sites. The new EEO tagline reads as follows:
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories under state or federal law. It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.
Another change visible in the UCR applicant tracking systems is that placement goals for women and minorities are no longer required and have been removed from the system.
Utilization goals for individuals with disabilities (IWD) at 7% and Hiring Benchmark for Veterans (5.2%) remain, and the affirmative action programs for these two categories are still enforced. This means that good-faith outreach recruitment efforts are required and expected.
We may make additional process and/or systems changes in the future. We will keep you updated on how it will impact the recruitment process, including requirement outreach and possible alterations to the approval process.