By Adam Andrzejewski, OpenTheBooks CEO/Founder | Full article published at City Journal

“This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind,” Thomas Jefferson wrote in founding the University of Virginia. Two centuries later, however, UVA has pledged to spend seemingly illimitable funds—up to $1 billion—on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, all while trying to downplay these efforts.  OpenTheBooks.com, an organization I founded and lead, is taking a closer look.

Four years ago, UVA president Jim Ryan announced the university’s major financial commitment to DEI initiatives. He outlined a package that included up to $150 million for race-based equity projects over the next three to five years; up to $650 million in long-term, endowed equity projects; and up to $150 million more for race-based scholarships and faculty chairs.

OpenTheBooks.com has since analyzed official UVA payroll records. In March, we concluded that the university was spending no less than $20 million per year of students and taxpayers’ money on 235 DEI employees, 82 of whom were students. Many employees, we found, were making more than $200,000 per year before benefits.

Read the full article.