Regents of the University of North Texas System approved full-time leave for a faculty member to pursue a mathematics education project that includes DEI themes during the Fall 2026 semester.
The undertaking, “Algorithmic Equity in Developmental Mathematics,” was part of the consent agenda for last week’s Board of Regents meeting. Consent agendas are intended to enable governmental bodies to quickly move through unobjectionable items but are sometimes abused to hide controversial measures.
Stated objectives for this enterprise include to “Develop an AI-driven equity framework & enhance developmental math pedagogy,” “Produce a book-length manuscript & publish peer-reviewed articles,” and “Create open-source faculty tools.”
Noureen Khan, the UNT-Dallas faculty member leading this project, describes herself as an “Equity Strategist” and lists her pronouns on LinkedIn.
Khan previously studied at Qatar university, under a joint funding agreement between the U.S. government and the foundation program of Qatar University.
Regent approval of Khan’s leave comes as concerns regarding “woke AI” have risen in profile. Author James Lindsay has warned that the integration of DEI ideology into technology algorithms could lead to Chinese-style social credit systems.
While it does not apply to Khan’s endeavor, President Trump issued an executive order last July titled “Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government.”
UNT-Dallas is a component of the University of North Texas System. The UNT system is overseen by a Board of Regents appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Carlos Munguia of University Park is the current board chairman.
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