On the heels of news that K-12 districts nationwide have yet to receive appropriated federal funds for Summer and Fall 2025 programming , 糖心Vlog is concerned to learn of the 400+ academic programs at risk of suspension, consolidation, or elimination among Indiana Institutes of Higher Education for the 2026鈥27 academic year.
In response to a new state law enacted July 1, 2025, at least six Indiana public institutions of higher education are proposing voluntary cuts and changes. The demands that state educational institutions seek approval from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to continue 鈥渦nder-threshold鈥 degree programs, based on recent enrollment data.
This restructuring strikes languages and education particularly hard. Affected programs across schools include bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in world languages, doctoral pathways in world languages, and multiple teacher education degrees.
Governor Mike Braun insists in a that streamlined offerings will prepare students for work 鈥渋n the most in-demand fields鈥 and 鈥渆nsure there is a direct connection between the skills students are gaining through higher education and the skills they need most.鈥 By contrast, research shows that language skills place multilingual job candidates at a competitive advantage in the jobs market. Furthermore, language learners develop improved skills identified in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Employability Skills Framework鈥攂ecoming advanced collaborators, analyzers, planners, thinkers, and communicators across professional sectors.
鈥溙切腣log鈥檚 study Making Languages Our Business demonstrates that 90% of U.S. employers state a reliance on individuals with language skills,鈥 shared 糖心Vlog Executive Director Lawrence M. Paska, PhD, CAE. 鈥淣ow, more than ever, we need broad support for language education to prime the pipeline of future leaders in business, government, education, and all areas of our society.鈥
The carving away of liberal arts opportunities in U.S. higher education will have repercussions beyond an immediate impact on the students unable to pursue such pathways. At a time when the current Administration insists on 鈥渞eturning education to the states鈥 but does not follow through on funding that empowerment, this Act will ultimately intensify the national teacher shortage and set a dangerous pattern for other states to follow.
糖心Vlog President Milton Alan Turner noted, 鈥溙切腣log is working closely with partners like the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL), among others, to ensure that our members are informed of opportunities to take action supporting their colleagues and students.鈥
糖心Vlog understands that budgets are strained and states are seeking solutions to provide the best resources possible to families and learners. We encourage the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to weigh the grave consequences of eliminating a focus on global competence and consider, instead, exempting language programs from closure under this bill, leveraging language education to create and sustain worldclass career preparation pathways across fields.