The University of Memphis is offering its professors money to include tenets of Critical Race Theory, including “diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice” initiatives, into their course curricula.
The Tennessee school informed faculty members that they could receive $3,000 in funding if they reworked their syllabuses to include these topics, according to an email obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Faculty interested in receiving the additional funding must submit a copy of their revised syllabus to administration officials along with a 500-word “narrative” on their “diversity, equity, and inclusion philosophy,” and how the new curricula will “address disparities” in their subject area.
The $3,000 grant will be awarded in two installments. The first $1,500 comes after a professor submits the syllabus revision, and the second $1,500 comes after the professor teaches the material.
The deadline for submitting curricula revisions is Jan. 28. Winners will be selected in February, and their redesigned courses will be taught in fall 2022.
One faculty member at the university slammed the program as a waste of financial resources.
“We’ve had a hard time retaining good faculty at our salary levels, so anytime you see money being spent on non-student or non-faculty causes, it makes you scratch your head,” the professor said. “Could this money be spent on students or retaining quality faculty rather than a progressive agenda that isn’t likely supported by the taxpayers or voters of Tennessee?”
The financial incentive is clearly aimed at turning students into “social justice activists,” the professor added.
“I’m not sure how changing an accounting, nursing, or engineering course to align with social justice principles helps students,” he said.
“When faculty are underpaid in the first place, it’s hard to blame them for taking this money,” he added. “But it creates an incentive for a nonpartisan instructor to turn their students into activists for a few extra dollars.”
