Former DEI Chief Demoted Due to "Poor Decision-Making"
Wisconsin Senate President says "the university should be ashamed"
UW-Madison’s former chief diversity officer was demoted earlier this year after an internal review found that he “showed a lack of recognition and appreciation for the university’s responsibility to be sound stewards of state funding and the public trust.”
LaVar Charleston, who led UW’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement until January, had a pattern of “poor decision-making,” according to a memo from Rob Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration.
The financial probe discovered that he provided more than $200,000 in “lump sum awards” to DDEEA employees “without consultation,” showing a “thoughtless attitude in decision-making.” Across the UW system, less than 3% of employees earn bonuses every year, but Charleston approved them for 85% of his staff. He also approved other salary increases that were “inconsistent with university practices and expectations of university leaders regarding fiscal responsibility.”
The DDEEA had a budget of nearly $22 million last year, largely coming from taxpayer and tuition funds.
Under Charleston’s leadership, the division also spent the most “on travel, training, and events of any unit on campus.” While DDEEA spent about $11,000 per employee for these expenses, other departments spent one-third of that.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, some questionable expenses included “$18,000 for student massage therapy services, $21,000 for a senior leadership retreat at a Lake Geneva resort, $14,000 for Maui lodging costs for seven students and staff for recruitment purposes.”
New measures have been taken by the university to “improve financial management” in response to Charleston’s indiscretions, such as increasing “oversight and guidance of compensation decisions.” Deloitte, an independent consulting firm, will perform an additional review for further guidance.
Charleston was among the state’s highest-paid employees while he led DDEEA, earning a salary of more than $300,000 dollars. In comparison, the Governor of Wisconsin receives an annual salary of $165,568.
Charleston is still employed by the university but is on paid leave until mid-April. His salary has been reduced to $133,000 after his demotion.
In a press release, Wisconsin Senate President Mary Felzkowski said, “The only reason these findings came to light is because of a legislature-initiated audit of DEI practices. The university should be ashamed, students should be outraged, and taxpayers should be disgusted.”
“The scope of the damage that DEI has caused to our country and culture is immeasurable and has had no significant impact on educational outcomes for those it claims to assist.”
Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wrote, “For years I’ve said that one of the biggest problems with all of these woke administrators is that they cost too much. That’s driving up tuition and, in turn, student loan debt. Universities should focus on providing a quality and affordable education. Period.”
Charleston has faced numerous controversies throughout his career. He was accused of engaging in research misconduct for over a decade, including presenting old studies as new research. Additionally, he was charged with felony strangulation of a police officer in 2011, two years after he started working at UW-Madison. Charleston only avoided conviction because he participated in a deferred prosecution program.
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Charleston’s wife, who serves as the chief DEI officer at Harvard, was also implicated in his research misconduct scandal and has faced plagiarism allegations of her own.
UW-Madison’s DDEEA shake-up comes amid a national crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from the Trump Administration. The university is being investigated for racial discrimination and is also facing a separate probe related to its handling of antisemitism on campus.
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