Under newly adopted state requirements, universities must answer whether proposed degree programs exercise a “commitment to the core values of American society.”
Over the summer, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education revamped its review process and application packet that universities must submit when they want to add a new degree program to their offerings. The state must approve any new program before students can enroll.
At the Nov. 13 commission meeting, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said Indiana wants to produce the best citizens possible and announced the state would add another question to the application:
“How does the proposed program cultivate civic responsibility and commitment to the core values of American society? For example, how does the curriculum include components that emphasize civic engagement and the duties of citizenship in a free society?”
The IndyStar reached out to the commission to ask about the motivation behind the question, what is included in the “core values of American society” and what level of importance a university’s answer has. Commission officials did not immediately.
As Republican politics become more intertwined with higher education, the added criteria have concerned some in academia.
In its newsletter, the Indiana chapter of the American Association of University Professors said, “This policy is the latest effort by Indiana’s politicians to take power away from faculty and cheapen the education students have access to in Indiana.” The organization did not provide additional explanation, but some professors told Inside Higher Ed that it opens the door to curtail some programs and academic freedom.
In recent years, state lawmakers have enacted several measures that professors claim infringe on shared governance and academic freedom. These include requiring “intellectual diversity” in the classroom, mandating degree consolidation, eliminating alumni-elected Indiana University board members, changes to tenure and rolling back consideration of faculty input in university decisions.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana colleges must answer how new degrees commit to American values
Reporting by Cate Charron, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
