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Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana's crackdown on small college programs will drive students away
Indiana's GOP supermajorities are taking a hands-on approach to higher education. From ending diversity efforts to cracking down on tenure and making syllabi postings mandatory, conservatives are seizing more control on public universities and colleges that receive state funding. The latest move is to eliminate lesser-used degree programs. Leaders inserted language into the state budget that targets programs when the average number of students who graduate over the immediately preceding three years is fewer than: The educational institution can seek an exception from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. The mandated contraction raises a lot of questions. Yes, it could be better for the budget of the institution and therefore the state budget but isn't part of government's role to fund items for the public good? Public higher education is still a business and I'm concerned that customers — i.e. Hoosier students — will go elsewhere to get what they need. Is that what Indiana wants? Jacob Stewart: IU program cuts, anti-woke policies harm conservatives on campus An initial review by higher education officials identified a stunning 408 programs to be eliminated, suspended or merged. That's nearly 20% of the degree offerings in the state. Among those being terminated: A recent Newsweek article said Indiana's Republican Gov. Mike Braun has called for more practical degrees that lead students into jobs, but the alterations to Hoosier higher education also come at a time when colleges across the country are coming under increasing scrutiny over funding and the programs they offer. I have to admit, I'm torn on this one. I think I would feel better about the move if the idea was actually vetted publicly during the legislative session instead of, once again, inserting it into a bill with only a few days left and no advance notice. This type of move isn't good for building trust in the legislative process and automatically puts people off. Ohio, for example, appears to have an almost identical measure — which means it's being pushed nationally. Senate Bill 1 in Ohio requires public universities to eliminate undergraduate degree programs that graduate fewer than five students a year over a three-year period. On one hand, if only a handful of students are pursuing the degrees, it seems to make financial sense to assess whether these programs are worth the cost. But I also think students should be able to pick the degrees they want if they are spending tens of thousands of dollars on it. This move also makes it harder for students to customize their educational paths to their interests. West Lafayette Democratic Rep. Chris Campbell said when she received her master's in audiology at Purdue it was a relatively small program. 'But the size of the program didn't matter. It was offered because students were interested, and even though the discipline is small, audiologists provide essential services,' she said. Opinion: Purdue, IU abandon student newspapers, diminishing campus voices 'This is an overreach of government into higher education, echoing a dangerous national trend. The majority isn't outright controlling students' education, but they're restricting it, which achieves the same goal. Students should be able to study whatever they choose, especially since they're paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for it. Programs impacted include economics, secondary education, finance and three engineering disciplines. I was especially shocked to see special education degrees on the list.' Workforce shortages have turned into a major thorn for state leaders, and this move is clearly a way to push students into specific industries and sectors that business and state leaders want to emphasize to fill open jobs in Indiana. But nothing will cause burnout and transiency in employment more than not loving what you do. And if the degree options aren't here, young Hoosiers will go elsewhere.
Chicago Tribune
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Indiana University, Ball State and Purdue are gutted without logic or thought
The list of executions is a stunner. B.A. in French — dead, or in Hoosier political-ease, 'Suspend (with Teach-Out toward Elimination)/Written Commitment to Merge/Consolidate the Program before AY26-27.' B.A. in Art History — dead. B.A. in Italian — dead. M.A. in Japanese — dead. M.A. in Theater and Drama — dead. M.A. in Chinese — dead. That's merely a taste of the carnage announced Monday by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE), as planned for one of America's great universities, Indiana University in beautiful Bloomington. Since there are 116 degree programs disappearing from Indiana's Big Ten flagship campus, and 222 across the Indiana University system from Indianapolis to Kokomo, we could have filled this entire space with a list. And, believe us, we were sorely tempted. But we'd have needed yet more space to include similar cuts at Ball State University, Indiana State University, Purdue University, Ivy Tech Community College and the University of Southern Indiana. Ball State is losing degree programs in philosophy, geology and German, to name but three. All in all, public schools in Indiana are losing some 20% of their current degree programs. What on earth happened? The cuts are the work of the ICHE, which would be better to call itself the Indiana Commission for the Gutting of Higher Education. The ICHE is operating at the behest of the governor and the Indiana legislature, which cut 5% from its budget for higher education in its most recent two-year budget, even as it required schools to keep tuition and fees flat for the next year. At the eleventh hour, the legislature then also imposed a requirement that all programs meet new enrollment guidelines; degrees with just a few students now will be eliminated. We're hardly reflexive defenders of all aspects of academe. We've called many times for keeping tuition more affordable and for public universities that take advantage of taxpayer dollars to fulfill their mission of excellent teaching and training, preparing students effectively for today's world and emphasizing critical thinking over indoctrination. We acknowledge that many of the programs on this list are small and thus relatively more expensive. And we're well aware of some of academia's loopier inclinations and the overly cushy gigs it sometimes provides those who are able to mow their lawn when most taxpayers are still behind their laptops or in their trucks. So stipulated. Even so, while revolutionaries invariably favor an axe, this kind of wholesale carnage still is a shocker. If you read the entire list, you'll likely be struck by how much damage is being done to education in the humanities and the arts. Surely, a determined Indiana student who wants to attend his or her state university should be able to study German, art history or dance, somewhere; if not in Bloomington, then where else in Indiana? The answer for some, of course, will be out of state or at a private school; the humanities will continue to be protected in the Ivy League or at the University of Chicago. But that doesn't help a lower-middle-class kid with writing talent from Franklin, Indiana. The ICHE cuts also don't recognize that some of these small degree programs are taught by faculty who work across several programs and most of them have curricula that overlap, too. In many instances, they simply are a means of offering students more choice at relatively little incremental cost within an academic department. And when it comes to doctoral programs, especially, they are small by design. Indiana doesn't need 50 doctoral students in astrophysics, but we'd argue that a robust program with five might just pay the state back its costs, should even one of them set up some kind of innovative shop in Indianapolis, or, 20 years later, teach an astrophysicist who does precisely that. This kind of one-size-fits-all metric is crude in the extreme. There are excellent programs that don't attract a crowd. Moreover, degree programs go in and out of fashion. Business and finance degrees may be the hottest things now, but they won't necessarily stay that way. Setting the philosophical justification for these changes, Indiana's Republican Gov. Mike Braun has called for more 'practical' degrees with direct applications to the workforce. Sure. But who's to say right now what those degree programs will be in 20 years, especially as artificial intelligence threatens to reorder the demands of the workplace? Those finance majors and accountants may find machines doing much of what they learned to do, even as degree programs like philosophy that promote critical and relative thinking suddenly have more applicability than now is the case. Indiana University-Bloomington should not be turned into a trade school with Division One football and basketball. The state, which long has been proud of IU, needs teachers, thinkers, artists, musicians and poets, too. And it sure as heck needs people with proficiency in languages and cultures other than English. One final note. Christopher Rufo and other conservatives have led something of a revival of Western civilization-style instruction at campuses in Florida and elsewhere. They've argued that students should be debating, Sophocles-style, and reading Aristotle or Socrates rather than deconstructive or nihilistic texts emphasizing identity, post-colonial guilt and the like. We think students should read and think about all of the above, although we're all for the rise of classically based curricula, for those who choose such an education. We're all products of the liberal arts ourselves. Yet in Indiana, those old-school, discursive classes are over-represented on the crudest of chopping blocks. If the legislature and the ICHE are really concerned about how the state's young minds are being educated, they should pack away their numbers nonsense and engage with the state's faculty on the future of Indiana's great state university. Ideally before the best minds get the heck out of the state. Teachers and students.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Purdue opts to cut or consolidate 7 programs ahead of new state law; more to be evaluated
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — Some of Indiana's public colleges, including Purdue University, have opted to cut or consolidate a selection of degree programs ahead of a new state law that went into effect on July 1. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education said in a release Monday those 400 programs cut or consolidated across the state were those with "zero-to-low enrollment and completions." Gov. Mike Braun said in the release that one of the state's top agenda items included ensuring that Indiana's higher education institutions are preparing students for career opportunities in the "most in-demand fields of today and the future." 'Just in the past month, our state institutions have taken bold, proactive steps to increase the value of higher education for both students and families, first, through keeping tuition flat, and today, by beginning the process to streamline degree offerings," Braun said in the release. "This will help students make more informed decisions about the degree they want to pursue and ensure there is a direct connection between the skills students are gaining through higher education and the skills they need most.' Public Law 213, born out of House Bill 1001 in the 2025 legislative session setting Indiana's state budget, states that academic programs must meet a three-year average number of students who graduate from the program to automatically continue. That threshold is 10 students for an associate's degree program, 15 students for a bachelor's degree program, seven students for a master's degree program, or three students for a doctorate degree program. Indiana state Rep. Chris Campbell in a statement Tuesday called the new law an "overreach of government into higher education, echoing a dangerous national trend." "The majority isn't outright controlling students' education, but they're restricting it, which achieves the same goal," Campbell said. "Students should be able to study whatever they choose, especially since they're paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for it. Programs impacted include economics, secondary education, finance and three engineering disciplines. I was especially shocked to see special education degrees on the list." The seven degrees Purdue University's West Lafayette campus submitted to the commission to be suspended, classified as "teach-out toward elimination," are bachelor's degrees in microbiology, mathematics with computer science, design and production, art history, and a master's degree program in health sciences. A master's and doctoral program in comparative literature were proactively identified by Purdue's West Lafayette campus for merger or consolidation. Indiana Sen. Spencer Deery said he sees the new law as an opportunity for public institutions, but he noted things to be cautious about. "From my experience in higher education, these are very political environments, and sometimes there are actions that need to be taken that can be hard," Deery said. "Sometimes that's investing money in a program because it is being underserved, or it may not make financial sense to continue doing so. Which sometimes that could be because it is a program popular with a certain influential faculty member. So, I think it's a good idea to go back and evaluate, and this is that opportunity." In its guidance to institutions, the commission said it didn't expect this voluntary round to encapsulate all "under-threshold" programs. Students currently enrolled in any eliminated or suspended degree program will have the opportunity to complete their studies through an orderly teach-out, the release said, echoing a June 10 statement by Purdue officials. Newer degree programs will receive special consideration as they need time to grow enrollment and produce graduates, the commission said. Those programs, however, must still obtain approval to continue. "In requesting approval to continue an under-threshold degree program, institutions will have the opportunity to contextualize data through a fact-based, context-dependent narrative justifying the approval to continue category requested," the commission said in its guidelines. "It must elaborate on the program's essentialness to mission and planned fiscal support, as well as its relative importance in relation to evolving program offerings, career relevance, student outcomes, and service to the region/state/nation." Campbell, who graduated from Purdue with a master's degree in audiology, recalled in her statement the small size of her own graduate program. "It was offered because students were interested, and even though the discipline is small, audiologists provide essential services," Campbell said. "Our public university is arguably our state's greatest strength. Purdue is globally recognized. But to continue their record of success, Purdue has to be a great place to work and study. The General Assembly has continued to undercut these efforts with tenure reviews, monitoring instruction and now eliminating degree programs. It will get harder and harder for Purdue to pitch itself to out-of-state students and the nation's top researchers." Looking at enrollment for programs such as soil science and artificial intelligence at Purdue, Deery said he was unaware those numbers were low enough to fall into consideration of the new law. He said his worry would be if the commission implemented the new requirements in a "heavy-handed or nonstrategic way." "I don't think that's their intent, but I think there is some opportunity here and we have to watch out for it," Deery said. "My concern is in the next round if they start saying no on things like AI or soil sciences, if they cross those lines, I won't hesitate to voice displeasure." In conversations with colleagues, Deery said he has found himself educating others on the reality of what cuts like this would do to a public university, explaining that cost savings by cutting a program aren't always so cut and dry. "Elimination doesn't mean immediate cost savings," Deery said. "There are faculty teaching more than one class, and I would anticipate there will be some form of savings. Maybe it doesn't make sense to have an art history major, but we still want to offer that opportunity as a class to students." Data from the 2024 fiscal year will be validated by the commission in early July, the commission said. The decisions will then be provided to Indiana's public institutions by mid-July. "The commission and institutions will collaborate to validate and arrive at a Mutual Consensus List of under-threshold degree programs with newer degree programs flagged," the commission said. "Only degree programs on the Mutual Consensus List must obtain approval to continue from the commission." Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@ This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue opts to cut or consolidate 7 programs ahead of new state law
Chicago Tribune
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
400-plus Indiana degree programs volunteered to be reduced
Six Hoosier university systems have volunteered to reduce more than 400 degree programs statewide, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education announced Monday at a meeting of its Academic Affairs and Quality Committee. Indiana has about 2,200 degree programs, meaning about 19% statewide were volunteered to be reduced either immediately or as a future commitment. Statewide, 75 programs will be eliminated, and of those, 68 have zero enrollments, according to commission numbers. The commission invited seven institutions to take part of the voluntary action, said Matt Butler, ICHE senior associate commissioner and academic officer. Indiana House Enrolled Act 1001 — the state budget bill — included language that allowed the elimination of various programs. Universities with programs that fall under quotas for three consecutive years must request permission from the commission to continue the degrees, according to bill details. Quotas include an average enrollment of 15 or more students for three consecutive years in bachelor degree programs, 10 in associate degree programs, seven in master's programs, and three in educational specialist and doctorate degree programs, according to Post-Tribune archives. The statute went into effect Tuesday. Gov. Mike Braun signed the budget bill into law on May 6. 'During the most recent legislative session, one of our top agenda items included ensuring that Indiana's higher education institutions are preparing students for career opportunities in the most in-demand fields of today and the future,' Braun said in a statement. 'Just in the past month, our state institutions have taken bold, proactive steps to increase the value of higher education for both students and families, first, through keeping tuition flat, and today, by beginning the process to streamline degree offerings. This will help students make more informed decisions about the degree they want to pursue and ensure there is a direct connection between the skills students are gaining through higher education and the skills they need most.' Butler said Monday that universities had three options: elimination, suspension and merge or consolidate. Programs with a suspension would have a teach-out toward elimination option, which would phase out the degree if students are enrolled. 'With those options, the participating institutions were able to make re-prioritizing decisions to better align with student demand, evolving disciplinarian and workforce trends, and wisely allocate resources,' Butler said. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education will review the recommendations and finalize decisions on July 24. Participating institutions included Ball State University, Indiana State University, the Indiana University system, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University system and University of Southern Indiana. Vincennes University did not participate because the school has eliminated or suspended 18 degrees in the past three years and did not have any available to volunteer now, said Tony Hahn, vice president of government relations. At Indiana University Northwest, no programs will be eliminated, but four will be suspended with teach-out toward elimination and 12 will be suspended with the commitment to merge or consolidate with another program. University media representatives did not comment on how staffing might be affected by the changes. The commission reported that Indiana University had 249 impacted programs, but Mark Bode, IU executive director of media relations and public affairs, said the net loss will be 222 programs across its campuses. Through mergers and consolidations, 27 programs will be created, Bode said. Degrees with enrollment currently under the minimum threshold will maintain normal operations through the upcoming academic year, according to IU's website. 'Campus leaders will work with deans to communicate directly with affected faculty and staff about the recommendations, and affected students will be notified following final Indiana Commission for Higher Education approval,' the university statement said. Purdue University Northwest will eliminate four programs, including its M.S. Ed. in special education, M.S./M.A.T. in mathematics, B.S. in medical laboratory science and B.S.B. in entrepreneurship. Three programs will be committed to suspension, two will be merged and nine will be committed to merge. 'Only a handful of (PNW) students are in the four programs identified in the preliminary draft of the 'plan to suspend' as published by (the Indiana Commission for Higher Education),' PNW Communications Specialist Kale Wilk said in a Tuesday email. 'Other potential options may be pursued such as consolidating multiple low-enrollment programs into one program. In any case, all students currently enrolled at PNW will be able to complete their degree programs of study.' Wilk did not address how staffing might be impacted. Through all Purdue campuses, 83 programs will be affected, according to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education numbers. Purdue University officials did not answer how staffing will be affected at its campuses. Purdue Spokesperson Trevor Peters said in an email Tuesday that at the institution's West Lafayette campus, it affects 1 in 1,000 students in the five programs identified for suspension, and those students can finish their degrees.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nearly 300 Indiana students awarded teaching scholarships following record applications
An Indiana teacher reads to her class. (Courtesy Indiana State Teachers Association) Nearly 300 Hoosier students will receive up to $40,000 each to pursue careers in education through the state's Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship program, higher education officials announced this week. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education awarded 295 awards for the 2025–26 academic year. The renewable scholarship provides up to $10,000 per year for four years. In exchange, recipients agree to teach for five years at an eligible Indiana school or repay a prorated amount. Now in its ninth year, the program aims to address the state's ongoing teacher shortage by supporting students committed to staying in the profession. 'Teachers inspire confidence in the next generation and prepare students for future career success,' said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery. 'The Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship is a key strategy to build Indiana's future teacher workforce with high-quality talent. The students selected for this opportunity have the passion and determination to make a difference in classrooms across the state.' The 2025-2026 application cycle drew a record 1,091 applicants — a 15% increase over last year — from 326 high schools across 89 of Indiana's 92 counties, according to CHE. Of those applicants, 73% were high school seniors and the rest were current college students. State lawmakers expanded the annual scholarships in 2023, increasing awards from $7,500 to $10,000. The previous 200-recipient cap was also lifted, and a one‑time $10,000 grant was introduced for students enrolled in approved 'transition to teach' programs. Funding for the program was reduced in the state's new two-year budget passed earlier this year, however, with annual appropriations dropping from $12 million to $11.4 million. The cut was part of broader budget cuts across state government. It's not yet clear how the reduced funding might affect future scholarship awards. To qualify, students must meet academic criteria including ranking in the top 20% of their high school class, earning a 3.0 GPA or better, or scoring in the top 20th percentile on the SAT or ACT. Scholarship recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA and complete at least 30 credit hours per year to remain eligible while in college. The full list of scholarship recipients by county is available online at SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
