Amid President Trump's push against DEI, the Education Department has opened investigations into a diversity-related program it says is connected to three California colleges. The department said it is investigating whether the program amounts to illegal race-based discrimination.

The University of California opened its doors in 1869 with just 10 faculty members and 40 students. Today, the UC system has more than 295,000 students and 265,000 faculty and staff, with 2.0 million alumni living and working around the world.

The statements had risen in popularity as colleges sought to improve campus culture, but they drew criticism from conservatives who argued they were a political test.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi on Thursday ordered a federal probe into admissions policies at Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, particularly their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.