Gov. Braun Details Progress on MEI Initiative
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Governor Mike Braun sent out a report on Wednesday about his administration’s progress to replace the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) with MEI (Merit, Excellence, and Innovation). The report was compiled and sent out after Braun signed the executive order, instituting the change, in January.
“Indiana has replaced the divisive, politically-charged DEI ideology with Merit, Excellence, and Innovation: a level playing field where every single Hoosier has the chance to get ahead with hard work,” Braun said in a press release.
The executive order directed executive state agencies to scrutinize their DEI policies to make sure they are compliant with the Supreme Court’s big ruling on race-based admissions from the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard case. Agencies also have to report back on how they’ve changed or eliminated programs to meet these new requirements.
Braun’s report highlights:
- 350+ examples of DEI initiatives in state government programs
- 70 cases of DEI training, instruction, or programing for state employees which have been eliminated
- Hundreds of hours of time that will no longer be spent on DEI trainings and can now be spent on serving Hoosier taxpayers
- 34 grants within Indiana State Agencies that were conditioned on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which all Hoosiers can now compete for
- 200 DEI initiatives in state agency policy and procedures which will now prioritize the values of merit, excellence, and innovation that bring us together rather than the things that divide us
You can read the full report here: https://www.in.gov/gov/files/eo-reports/eo-25-14/All-Agency-Reports.pdf.
