NC State notified staff and faculty of revisions to its strategic plan and vision and values statements Tuesday, modifying language to align with the UNC System’s equality policy in a broader pattern of removing mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education across the country.

The University’s Wolfpack 2030: Powering the Extraordinary plan now features an updated Goal 4, which now reads: “Champion a culture of equality, belonging and well-being in all we do.” 

The revision replaces previous language that specifically mentioned equity, diversity and inclusion. 

Chancellor Randy Woodson and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden said in a joint email sent to faculty and staff that these changes aim to ensure NC State remains “a place where all feel a sense of community and opportunity.”

The updated goal commits to addressing “inequality, bigotry, discrimination and racism” on campus, shifting from the previous version’s focus on “institutionalized inequality, including racism.”

The University’s mission statement has remained unchanged, but one of its values has shifted from “inclusion” to “representation.”

This change shifts the focus from promoting “institutional equity” and “diversity of backgrounds” to representing “all the people of North Carolina” and serving “shared needs.”

The UNC System equality policy Woodson and Arden refer to in the email is the same one adopted in May 2024 which established institutional neutrality and repealed and replaced the “Policy on Diversity and Inclusion” and “Regulation on Diversity and Inclusion” with a new policy titled “Equality Within the University of North Carolina.”

Woodson and Arden requested that colleges and units across NC State review their materials to align with these changes and UNC System policy.

The University has not responded to Technician’s request to comment.