Indiana's crackdown on small college programs will drive students away

Indianapolis Star

17-07-2025

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?
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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.
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'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.