Indiana To Require Universities Prove Degree Programs Actively ‘Promote’ American Value

Public colleges and universities in Indiana will soon have to prove to the state that new degree programs demonstrate a commitment to upholding American values before implementation.

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education is implementing a new process for program proposals that requires schools prove a course’s curriculum cultivates “civic responsibility” and promotes a “commitment to the core values of American society” in order to gain approval from the commission, according to Indiana Public Media. Schools in the state have already cut nearly 20% of programs due to low enrollment and completion, removing courses such as Purdue University Fort Wayne’s “Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.”

Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has taken major steps to keep higher education institutions in check, convincing all 15 of the state’s public colleges and universities to keep tuition rates flat after petitioning the commission to recommend a 0% price increase. The commission’s latest move seems to be inspired by Braun’s plan for higher education.