When Leadership Falls Short: The Crisis of Care in Library Work
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Standing up for Democracy at the NADOHE Conference
Posted on April 28, 2026 in Blog Posts
Authors:
Catherine Taipe
Maurice A. Stinnett, Ph.D, opened the 2026 NADOHE1 Annual Conference with a simple question: “Who is the ‘we’ in ‘We the People?’”
I am always a little skeptical about connecting diversity, equity, and inclusion work to the Founding Fathers—white men who, most, if not all, were misogynistic, aristocratic enslavers. Yet I learned something new when Dr. Stinnett shared that the author of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, Gouverneur Morris of New York, was an ardent abolitionist.
At a time when individual states sought to enact their own laws, Morris advocated for a unified United States of America. Starting the Preamble with “We the people” was transformative. With a few words, the Constitution shifted from a document authorized by a collection of states to a statement that was written, signed, and presented by citizens of a single united entity. In sharing this story, Dr. Stinnet posited that higher education leaders can learn from Morris. By being strategic with language and framing, DEI leaders can take back control of our work, how it is perceived, and its lasting effects.
Throughout the four days at NADOHE, I heard “who is we?” play in my head over and over. Asking this question is less about the George Washingtons and Thomas Jeffersons and more about the role of democracy in our present day. Democracy is under threat in numerous sectors, but none quite like education. In higher education, DEI is public enemy number one—and every attendee was acutely aware of this.
As experts in the field work to meet this moment in higher education—or, better yet, to foster a movementagainst anti-democratic ideals parroted by the federal government, and toward a shared investment in inclusive excellence—we are faced with a million different ideas and approaches to a deeply complex issue.
How an institution reacts to tightening federal oversight of programs that might be vaguely related to DEI depends on a multitude of factors: Is the institution public or private? Are they located in a red or blue state? Is the institution financially secure? Are they big, medium, or small? The answers to these questions can shape what the “correct” way to reclaim and continue the work of DEI in higher education is.
At the conference, what unified every CDO (chief diversity officer), or VP for DEI, though, is a shared understanding that belonging is necessary. Feeling that you belong somewhere, whether that is in the broader society or at a college or university, is biologically necessary. As Esther Choo, MD, PhD, noted in her keynote, it could be a matter of personal well-being.
Keynote and session speakers also spoke to the democratic purpose of higher education and the opportunities it offers. Dr. Amalia Dache shared her journey navigating education as a high school student, a community college student, and eventually a graduate student learning to love research and writing. Her experience is a testament to the doors higher education is intended to open for those who experience marginalization firsthand. Uplifting students like Dr. Dache is the real-life impact of DEI, and that impact matters.
In tandem with this year’s NADOHE Conference theme, a few session speakers spoke of belonging as a tenet central to our nation’s birth. To be against belonging and similar ideals is anti-American.
Even further, some practitioners approached their research with belonging as structural, emphasizing the need for institutions to invest meaningfully. A sense of belonging, Dr. Courtney Nicole Johnson shared in her session, is a democratic practice central to higher education’s civic mission. If students do not feel a sense of belonging on campus, they do not participate in their community, and that institution has failed in its purpose to foster whole citizens of society. This was a connection I found effective in understanding just how impactful belonging on campus is.
I left NADOHE with many feelings and many questions. I have renewed hope in our colleges and universities and in DEI leaders to stand with our students, faculty, and staff in the face of such virulent misinformation and the invalidation of the work we do daily. It’s important in this day and age, as many speakers and sessions emphasized, to go back to the basics: meritocracy, fairness, and equity are understood as quintessentially American ideals. Why should we let a far-right movement rewrite the narrative? We, as DEI professionals, have a duty to reshape the narrative, reach out to nay-sayers, and keep the work going before it’s too late.
On the other hand, I understand the approach of a significant minority of speakers, like Dr. Mike Gavin of the Alliance for Higher Education. The passion and vigor in his closing speech reminded me that the cultural shift against DEI is reaching beyond the current president and our federal government. While we can meet this moment by reaching “people in the middle” who either do not have opinions on or feel they are not directly affected by the work of DEI, does this change our reality?
The list of words that could trigger reviews or terminations of federal grants, like NIH and NSF, is not lost on me. The witch hunt against institutions that end impactful alumni scholarships is not lost on me either. Why should we betray the very architects of what is understood today as DEI—James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Gloria Anzaldua, and more—by bowing down to a fascist government hellbent on legitimizing the end of free speech? By attempting to continue our work with the law in mind, are institutions of higher education giving our president permission to continue the crackdown?
I know it’s not that simple, and NADOHE 2026 was key for me in understanding this truth. What I am most eager to bring back to my colleagues and students is a small tidbit from Dr. Esther Choo’s keynote: hope is a habit. Hope is active, not passive. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how we respond to such a difficult time in higher education. What truly matters is that we are doing anything at all.
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Notes
- For those who are unfamiliar, NADOHE is the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.
About the author:
Catherine Taipe is a student affairs higher education professional and lifelong learner. Her work centers the experiences of those experiencing marginalization firsthand, aiming to foster belonging on campus and to advance campus investment in inclusive excellence.
Catherine holds a B.S. in International Relations and Politics from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.S.Ed in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
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