It has been about a year since the Trump administration started to ramp up open hostility toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [DEI] in higher education. Initially, Illinois State University signed onto a letter from about 400 university presidents objecting to government overreach. Since then, a lot of institutions have quietly deemphasized DEI, dropped public rhetoric about it, and reworked grants or programs to avoid courting federal displeasure.
ISU President Aondover Tarhule on Friday took a practical stance as litigation continues over a lot of federal mandates.
“In some ways, you can say we don't quite know what the outcome will be, but we are closely examining our operations, seeing what we can adjust without, as you say, incurring the displeasure of the administration. Overall, we're still trying to maintain a focus on what we see as our values and our commitments. Most of it is still in flux,” said Tarhule.
He said backing off on DEI rhetoric does not send a message that ISU does not value those principles. Based on what has happened at institutions that have incurred the “ire” of the administration, Tarhule said it's important to consider the impact on students who benefit from Pell Grants and other federal support that could be cut if ISU spoke out too loudly.
“You don't want to be sticking to rhetoric that you know will put your students in jeopardy. There are many ways of maintaining your values without taking a bull by the horns and screaming about what it is you're doing. Our first and most important responsibility is to our students,” said Tarhule.
The Trump administration is moving to fundamentally reshape the role of the federal government in higher education, according to the American Council on Education [ACE], a higher ed trade group. That includes drastically reducing discretionary funding for research. Billions in funds for research have been frozen, The New York Times reports.
Tarhule noted Friday that 20 ISU researchers are among the top 2% most cited in the academic and scientific communities. He said that shows they are at the top of their fields. But because ISU does not have a medical school and because health operations are relatively small, cuts at ISU were “much smaller than you would expect for the portfolio of our research.” Using its own resources, ISU continues to make good on the eliminated grants, even though NIH grants tend to be multiyear in scope.
“If this goes on for several years, then obviously we will not be able to continue to absorb the cost. As with everything else, there's still much that remains to be clarified. We'll continue to support our researchers as much as we can,” said Tarhule.
University budget
The first year of budget planning under a new model using revenue rather than costs as a primary focus is just under way.
“Going forward, all commitments, such as launching new programs, setting new priorities and initiatives, and making salary and compensation decisions will only be made when we have sustainable resources to support them,” said Tarhule.
Potential university budget plans went to each unit on campus a month ago, he said.
“I encourage everyone to treat these initial results as a starting point, not a verdict. This budget model is a tool for better decision making. It provides shared facts so we can ask better questions. Where can we reduce expenses without compromising quality? Where can we grow revenue in ways that align with our mission? And where should we intentionally invest, even if it costs more, because the work is mission critical and essential to who we are,” said Tarhule.
Tarhule told the board “future financial pressures may present difficult choices.” In a WGLT interview following the meeting he said it is too early to talk about potential budget reductions. He said for the first time ISU now knows what things cost and what revenue each unit generates.
“This wasn't about trying to identify where to cut. This was about trying to identify what our costs are, because that's the first step to trying to figure out, do we have an opportunity to make up some of the difference in efficiencies, through some other organizational changes that we make? That's where we go to first,” said Tarhule.
He emphasized not every unit on campus will be required to break even. He said it will take “at least a year” for units to review their own operations, see if they can cover gaps, reduce costs, or generate more revenue.
“When we look at the totality of those efforts across the university, maybe the actions that we all take collectively might close that gap, in which case there's no need for further action. But if we have exhausted all the actions that we can take and there is a gap still, then we can have the conversation about where we think we might have to cut back. We are not there yet,” said Tarhule.
