Explained: Why Stanford is shutting down its inclusion office, and what it means for US campuses

Stanford University is shutting down its Office for Inclusion, Belonging and Intergroup Communication amid a $140 million budget shortfall, laying off 363 staff this fall. The move, influenced by federal funding cuts and a rising ideological pushback against DEI, reflects a broader national trend as elite universities reorient priorities from campus inclusion to political compliance and research imperatives.