New Indiana budget expected to impact 400+ higher ed degree programs

INDIANAPOLIS -- More than 400 higher education degree programs in the state of Indiana are expected to be impacted once the new state budget officially goes into effect on Tuesday.




Officials with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education announced on Monday that six of Indiana's public higher education institutions "voluntarily" submitted more than 400 degree programs for elimination, suspension or merger/consolidation.




A news release from the commission said that these programs were identified as zero-to-low enrollments and with completions ahead of the budget's effective date on Tuesday. The bill, which was signed into law on May 6 by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, set "statutory average graduate thresholds for all degree programs."

According to previous reports, House Bill 1001, or the state's budget bill, consisted of funding for capital expenditures, funding K-12 and higher education operations and other services. The bill also included a new state cigarette tax and a measure that gave Braun, as Indiana's governor, full control over who makes up the Indiana University Board of Trustees.




"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 the release. "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." 








In total, around 19% of the state's degree programs statewide were "voluntarily eliminated, suspended or merged/consolidated by institutions either immediately or as a future commitment." The six higher education institutions and the impacted programs include:

• Ball State University: 51





• Indiana State University: 11





• Indiana University (all campuses): 249





• Ivy Tech Community College: 10





• Purdue University (all campuses): 83





• University of Southern Indiana: 4

Out of the total, 75 programs were eliminated, 68 of which reportedly had zero enrollments. The release said that 101 programs were suspended and 232 programs were merged/consolidated.




"Indiana's institutions have set a national example," Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery said in the release. "The thoughtful, voluntary review and reduction conducted by Indiana's public institutions demonstrates their commitment to improving quality, cost, and delivery while strategically allocating resources. Our institutions want to ensure the programs they're offering are responsive to student demand and fit the needs of Indiana's evolving economy. The primary beneficiaries of this work will be students, who face an overwhelming number of degree programs as they make their educational and career decisions."




The release said that students currently enrolled in a degree program that was eliminated or suspended will have the opportunity to complete their studies through an "orderly teach-out." Under the bill, state educational institutions will be required to seek approval from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to continue under-threshold degree programs starting Tuesday.




For more information about how the bill impacts Indiana higher education, click here.





via: https://fox59.com/indianapolitics/new-indiana-budget-expected-to-impact-400-higher-ed-degree-programs/