Slashing Indiana College Programs
Gov. Braun wants to cut Hoosier degree options
The Indianapolis Star reported Thursday that Gov. Mike Braun wants to eliminate dozens of programs from state-funded Indiana colleges and universities. Gov. Braun wants to push “in-demand” programs and cut those others.
These slashes come in an era when, as the Indiana Commission on Higher Education reported in 2023, higher education saw good news for the first time in a decade.
Higher education in Indiana is ranked in the top 10 nationally for providing the best value.
• Indiana ranks first in the Midwest and fifth in the nation in providing need-based financial aid.
• The state’s four-year institutions are sixth best in the nation at holding the line in tuition and mandatory fees over the past decade.
The Brain Drain and Other History
The State of Indiana has several wonderful large public research institutions as well as private colleges and universities of national renown. Hoosiers have access to dozens of colleges and universities throughout the state, as well as many campuses of Indiana Vocational Technical College for those who seek a two-year technical degree.
Yet, these institutions have had to fight for students for years. Forty-five years ago, my father, a longtime educator, served on a committee of the Indiana Higher Education Commission. Called the Brain Drain Commission, the committee looked at ways to keep those educated by Indiana schools employed within the state.
At the end of the Carter administration and the first year of the Reagan administration, the economy wasn’t doing well and hundreds of manufacturers and other businesses moved out of the country or closed. Jobs were hard to find, and many Hoosier graduates, including my brother and me, headed to sunnier places.
Today, Braun’s efforts will cut programs for students who are likely already enrolled for this fall. (Division I Purdue Fort Wayne announced this week the cancellation of several sports. Graduating seniors would have already received scholarship letters to play those sports; this leaves them in the lurch.)
For students enrolled in specific programs, it’s getting late to change plans or arrange for financial aid at a different school.
How does Gov. Braun define “in demand” programs?
USA Today noted “Governor Braun defines "in-demand" programs as those that lead to high-demand careers and have strong enrollment. The new policy requires colleges to meet strict quotas on program size, meaning that degrees with lower enrollment—such as biochemistry, engineering, and international relations—could be cut unless they receive explicit approval from his administration. Critics argue that this approach may negatively impact Indiana’s already-low college-going rate.”
The least common degrees awarded at IU and Purdue
Bachelor's programs in Indiana now require 15 graduates on average per year in order to automatically continue being offered. Here's a rundown of some of the least common bachelor's degrees earned by students at Indiana's public flagship universities. Each of these programs had three or fewer graduates annually, according to the latest available data.
Indiana University - Bloomington
American & U.S. Studies, South Asian Studies, Portuguese Language & Literature, Athletic Trainer, Speech Communication & Rhetoric, Vision Science & Physiological Optics, General Statistics, General Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology, Ural-Altaic & Central Asian Studies, Artificial Intelligence, Comparative Literature, General Classical Language, Literature, & Linguistics, Other Clinical, Counseling, & Applied Psychology, Ballet, Cinematography & Film Production, Folklore Studies, Digital Communication & Multimedia, Art Teacher Education, Italian Language & Literature, Judaic Studies
Purdue University - West Lafayette
Agronomy & Crop Science, American & U.S. Studies, African-American & Black Studies, Artificial Intelligence, Computer & Information Systems Security, English & Language Arts Teacher Education, Comparative Literature, Russian Language & Literature, Judaic Studies, General Music, Environmental Health, Health Physics, Management Science, Other Industrial Production Technology, Financial Mathematics Systems, Science & Theory Religious Studies, General Soil Science & Agronomy, Italian Studies, General Drama & Theater Arts, Acting, Technical Theatre Design & Technology, Art History, Criticism, & Conservation, Public Health Education & Promotion
Source: DATAUSA visualization of data reported by colleges to U.S. Department of Education.
So where does this leave us? What I find interesting is that many of the programs at our flagship state universities that are on the chopping block ARE STEM programs. Of course, many are in the humanities. We all know how society feels about art history, theatre, and similar.
The question is and has always been. What kind of society do we want, and for what are we willing to pay? The answer is clear from our federal government, as they cut museum and arts funding, and stomp out free expression where it doesn’t match their ideology.
A secondary question is and has always been. What is the point of a college education? Not everyone who studies computing will code, nor will everyone who studies are history teach. Both could become diplomats or researchers or whatever, and contribute to the greater good of society in many ways.
As a parent, what I wanted most for my child in a college education was a fire lit beneath him that could propel him forward for the rest of his life.
Gov. Braun, there must be a better way than to simply slash program after program, with the resulting tsunami of chaos for students.
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Is your college major on the chopping block?
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So stupid. Arbitrary decision by someone who doesn’t understand how a major works.