INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The University of Notre Dame is among more than 40 universities under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over possible racial discrimination in their graduate programs. The inquiries are part of President Donald Trump’s effo rts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs his administration says exclude Asian American and white students, the Associated Press reports. The Department of Education announced the new investigation Friday, one month after it issued a “Dear Colleague Letter” warning institutions they must stop the use of “race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, and other activities” or lose federal funding. Most of the inquiries focus on whether Notre Dame and other colleges violated Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination in education programs, by partnering with an organization called “The Ph.D. Project.” The Department of Education on Friday described The Ph.D. Project as “an organization that purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a Ph.D. and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants.” According to its website, the Ph.D. Project “empowers our community to help business professionals and students from various backgrounds earn PhDs so they can inspire and educate the next generation of business leaders.” “The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a release. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.” It’s unclear how long Notre Dame and the other institutions have been under investigation.  The University of Notre Dame responded to WISH-TV’s request for comment with the following statement: As always, The University of Notre Dame follows the law and in no way practices or condones discrimination. As a Catholic university, we are fully committed to defending the dignity of every human person and ensuring that every person can flourish. Related Coverage Notre Dame initiates hiring freeze amid federal funding crackdown IU Bloomington under investigation for ‘failure to protect Jewish students’ Jewish community speaks out on federal scrutiny of IU for antisemitism Some universities are freezing hiring as Trump threatens federal funding ...read more read less