As the Trump administration channels its efforts into purging what it sees as racial biases in higher education, the University of South Florida (USF) finds itself among more than 50 institutions under heightened scrutiny. The U.S. Department of Education announced a slew of investigations into race-based education programs that may exclude white and Asian American students - a bold move aligning with the administration's stated commitment to assess students according to merit and accomplishment, according to ABC Action News.

The U.S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, put it bluntly when her department said, "We will not yield on this commitment.” Her statement, signaling the inception of these inquiries, carries the gravity of potential federal funding withdrawals, upending the tradition of race-based preferences in admissions and scholarships, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times. The investigations opened last Friday include accusations against USF for allegedly offering race-based scholarships and running a program accused of segregating students by race.

USF specifically faces allegations concerning the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program, which aims to offset the underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic faculty in Florida's academic institutions. The fellowship, thoroughly legal under state law, is under the federal microscope for promoting "graduate school funding exclusively for full-time doctoral students who are African American or Hispanic," according to materials a spokesperson shared with Tampa Bay Times. USF received a letter last Thursday from the department, prompting a data request on the fellowship program.

Amidst the unfolding controversy, USF responded to the allegations, stating, "The University of South Florida is reviewing the letter we received from the U.S. Department of Education on March 13," as they promised to cooperate fully with the review, as reported by ABC Action News.