Indiana University's Center for Research on Race & Ethnicity in Society will lose about half its funding next year.
(Courtesy of Sonia Lee)
Indiana University's Center for Research on Race & Ethnicity in Society is facing an uncertain future after budget cuts.
CRRES will lose about half of its funding in 2025, said Director Sylvia Martinez. IU Research already cut $43,392 in funds this year, she said, and the Provost’s Office will pull about $204,000 next year.
“So many people mention us as a model,” Martinez said. “And then it leads to divestment– just devastating. It just doesn't make sense.”
The College of Arts and Sciences has committed to some continued funding of CRRES, Martinez said. She said that when she asked Provost Rahul Shrivastav about the cuts, he cited the college’s projected deficit as the reason.
“It just felt like a flippant response,” Martinez said.
IU Research changed its guidance for centrally-funded centers and institutes in 2023.
“Centers were given the option to work with research leadership to pave new pathways for external funding or to maintain existing activities under new administrative oversight,” IU spokesperson Mark Bode said. “The outcome of this process for CRRES was to revert to its original administrative home in the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Associate Director Sonia Lee said university leaders encouraged CRRES and other centers to search for outside grants and funding.
Lee said she recognizes the financial strains in higher education. But Lee said previous provosts such as Lauren Robel worked through budget issues and invested in centers because of their academic mission — not their revenue capacity.
“We're not here to make money, we're here to educate people,” Lee said.
CRRES was founded in 2013, but the work to create it began around 2008. Former Director Dina Okamoto said the center has grown in reputation and size over the last 10 years, making it a vibrant community.
By cutting funding now, Okamoto said the administration isn’t looking forward.
“The campus, the larger IU community, the State of Indiana, the nation really needs this research, on race and ethnicity,” Okamoto said. “It needs to be disseminated, interpreted, understood.”
In an August email obtained by WFIU/WTIU, Shrivastav told College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rick Van Kooten that he has “limited funding available to support the projected College budget deficit.”
“I am happy to support this, but it will come at the cost of limiting something else,” Shrivastav said.
By September, the provost finally denied funding, Martinez said. Martinez and Lee haven’t met with Shrivastav yet, but Van Kooten has worked with the provost.
Securing external funding isn’t out of the question, Martinez said. But she said if the university wants CRRES to become self-sustaining, IU should invest in a full-time director, research scientists and grant writers. Martinez and Lee lead CRRES part-time and teach in their own departments.
Okamoto agreed but said IU administrators aren’t interested in investing more.
“They're kind of just picking off institutes that can't be self-sustaining,” Okamoto said.
Higher education has been targeted by the Indiana Legislature. Senate Enrolled Act 202 changed tenure review and forced faculty to teach “intellectual diversity.” Legislators nationally have taken aim at diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Martinez said the cuts are driven by financial issues, not politics. But she said the political climate should have motivated leaders to invest incenters like CRRES.
“We need (centers like CRRES) even more right now,” Martinez said. “We need this, we need to promote the scholarship.”
CRRES currently supports three postdoctoral scholars in a two-year program. The program may shrink to one scholar.
Lee said current scholars study the U.S.-Mexico border, immigration, reproductive rights and racism.
“All these topics that are really important for the sustainability of humanity are being pursued by our scholars,” Lee said. “These are hot topics that a lot of our students also want to learn about.”
In a predominantly white institution such as IU, Lee said, the center’s postdoc scholar program has helped add faculty of color and faculty who research race and ethnicity. Out of 24 scholars, eight have stayed to teach at IU.
CRRES will likely cut its undergraduate research program, Martinez said. The center will also significantly reduce grants that fund race and ethnicity research for IU faculty and grad students.
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright.
