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A Person's avatar

The layoffs at Ivy Tech are heartbreaking, and lay bare the emptiness of Republican rhetoric in higher ed. They claim they want to support students entering the skilled trades, but is there one Republican state investing in the community colleges that educate such students? Indiana says it wants more manufacturing, but cheaps out in supporting the college that educates students in subjects like advanced manufacturing. No college in the state educates more students who will remain in Indiana, and yet the legislature consistently hamstrings Ivy Tech in its ability to do so.

Ivy Tech is perpetually in a no-win funding cycle. As I said in another thread this week community college enrollments run countercyclical to the economy - they go up when the economy is bad and down when the economy is good. This means that the college needs more resources right in the moment when state revenues are down, and then has its resources cut when the economy is good. And as the tariffs come home to roost it'll likely need more resources right after having to lay people off.

The people who work there are dedicated to the students of Indiana. It's a damn shame the cheapskates in the legislature only want them to keep doing more with less.

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Phthor Quiddity's avatar

Well said. Union apprenticeship programs will become even more important as a result. That could someday lead to interesting political effects.

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CJLB's avatar

Yeah, I'm just wondering what a Chinese American university president is doing while this is all going on. How long before his time comes? We are in an horrendous time of purging education and intellectualism. Indiana seems to be a leader in dropping to the knee, both 4 year and 2 year degree granting institutions giving in to authoritarianism from on high. What will we have left in this state? STEM without Humanities gives us a deprived citizenry. Higher ed without craft training leaves us helpless in our homes and manufacturing. This is such a sad time.

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Steve & Angie Klink's avatar

Thank you, Brian Leung, for your thoughtful response. —Angie

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Phthor Quiddity's avatar

One of the "pillars" is getting wobbly:

"We are a unified community that respects each other by embracing diversity, promoting inclusion, and encouraging freedom of thought and speech."

https://www.purdue.edu/studentsuccess/pillars.html

I checked, this page is captured on archive.org -- where we can go to show our grandkids what a university used to be.

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Noemi's avatar

There is no freedom of thought under the MAGAts. Nor, really, Indiana Republicans who have taken over Purdue's Board of Trustees.

They think they can purge the university of openness and cultural awareness. They don't understand that such things grow out of the experiences of students learning that there IS a diversity of thought, culture, and ideas.

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Phthor Quiddity's avatar

Reality has a liberal bias

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Kelly's avatar

Gutless. How embarrassing.

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Malcolm Duncan's avatar

Where is the Big Ten? Hang together or hang separately...

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Linda Swihart's avatar

I was proud to be an alum as well as a retiree, and proud of Purdue for leading the way with much of its work, especially the DEI work.

Now it's a shameful embarrassment. No more "GO BOILERS!" but a sad "oh Purdue..."

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Christopher Wood's avatar

RE: Cuts at Ivy Tech

MAGAt Mike Braun and his ReTrumplican't Legislative sycophants enrich themselves and look for downstream targets. One example is cutbacks at Tech because the system is a drain on Indiana...

....oh, wait!!!

Ivy Tech's

~ Cyber Security Is rated 7th overall in the Cyber Power Rankings,

~ RN Associate Degrees has consistently been ranked #1 nationally,

~ Forbes recognizes Tech as a top employer in Indiana and one of the best community colleges in the U.S.

~ Financially - Tech has top bond ratings, indicating strong financial management and stability.

So, MAGAt Mike and your Indiana Legislative Cultists - WHAT THE FUQUE?????

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Ben Cotton's avatar

You'd have thought Mung Chamberlain would have learned that appeasement doesn't work.

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HelenWheels's avatar

Mitch Daniels positioned Purdue for this moment? Another disappointing day to be a Boiler. I have started purging my Purdue gear. They can delete me from their alumni $$ calls.

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Noemi's avatar

So Purdue has knuckled under to the racist rhetoric and hateful bias from Republicans. As usual.

"...staff were given chances to interview for other jobs on campus, ..." But why would they want to?

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