Page 3 - Demo

Friday, October 3, 2025AfiSectionindianapolisrecorder.comDedicated people.Excellent care.Learn more ateskenazihealth.edu/careersor call 317.880.3344.TA_Recruitment_Recorder (5.075x10.5)_7.25_P2.indd 1 8/19/25 5:04%u202fPMAdd MyKey to the MixNew Fares in 2026!%u2022 Earn Free Rides%u2022 Track Your Trips%u2022 Card or Mobile AppLearn MoreBy ERIC WEDDLEWFYIPurdue University will abruptly end a statewide initiative to help more than 13,000 low-income Indiana students go to college after it was targeted in the Trump administration%u2019s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion.The Trump administration canceled a $34.9 million federal grant to Purdue University for GEAR UP, a federally funded program to boost college readiness and access. It provides after-school, mentoring and college-prep programs in 10 districts across the state. It will shut down Tuesday.The grant was awarded last year and expected to continue through 2031, according to a 2024%u00a0press release from Purdue%u2019s College of Education. It was the sixth-largest federal grant in university history, the release said.%u00a0In a Sept. 12 termination letter, the U.S. Education Department said Purdue%u2019s grant application conflicted with federal civil rights law and the department%u2019s policy of %u201cprioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education.%u201d%u00a0Federal officials cited sections of Purdue%u2019s application that promised DEI training for hiring managers, professional development in %u201cculturally responsive teaching%u201d and the integration of social and emotional learning in STEM instruction.The Education Department wrote that the Purdue program was %u201cinconsistent with, and no longer effectuates, the best interest of the Federal Government%u201d and described elements of the proposal as an %u201cinappropriate use of federal funds.%u201dPurdue could have appealed the termination but the university did not file it, according to multiple sources who spoke with WFYI on the condition of anonymity.%u00a0Purdue did not respond to multiple requests for comment last week and Monday.GEAR UP is a federal initiative Congress created in 1998. The program awards competitive, multi-year grants to states and universities to prepare low-income students for college. It focuses on teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics.Under the Biden administration, the 2024 grant application asked for details on DEI priorities in hiring and training processes.%u00a0But since then, Republican state and federal leaders have moved to end DEI practices. In January, Gov. Mike Braun ordered state agencies to%u00a0eliminate all DEI initiatives. In February, the U.S. Department of Education%u00a0instructed K-12 schools and universities%u00a0to cease using %u201crace as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming.%u201dThe end of Indiana%u2019s grant is part of a broader rollback. The Education Department has canceled at least nine GEAR UP grants this year, including four in Ohio and one in New Hampshire,%u00a0according to Education Week.%u00a0It%u2019s a rare example of Indiana finding itself on the wrong side of the Trump administration. Just two months ago, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon met with Gov. Mike Braun at Purdue%u2019s West Lafayette campus. During the visit, McMahon said Indiana was doing %u201cexactly what the President%u2019s goals are,%u201d%u00a0according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.%u2018Significant role in supporting students%u2019Indiana GEAR UP began in 2016, and it served more than 13,000 students and 3,000 educators, according to the 2024 press release from Purdue. In that release, Purdue described GEAR UP as playing a %u201csignificant role in supporting students and educators across the state.%u201dGEAR UP followed students from seventh grade through their first year of college. About 97% of participating students graduated from high school, compared with 87% of low-income students statewide, and participants enrolled in college at higher rates than comparison groups than their peers,%u00a0according to the release.Much of the effort focused on supporting students in the 21st Century Scholars program, which helps cover college tuition for eligible low-income families. Students are required to maintain a 2.5 GPA, earn at least a Core 40 high school diploma and avoid involvement in the juvenile justice system.The program began in partnership with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.The now-terminated grant would have expanded services to roughly 14,300 students in 28 schools this year.It%u2019s unclear how many Purdue staff will be terminated due to the loss of funding. The program%u2019s website lists ten staff in the main office and 12 regional directors.%u00a0GEAR UP state director Terron Phillips did not respond to a request for comment.Districts respondGEAR UP operated in districts across the state %u2014 including in Indianapolis, Gary, Lafayette, Muncie and Clark County.%u00a0They included MSD of Warren Township Schools in Marion County, where the program supported more than 700 students at four schools.%u00a0%u201cWithout GEAR UP, our students will miss out on critical access to postsecondary exploration, structured academic support, and individualized connections that kept their college and career pathways front and center,%u201d said Laura Butgereit, Warren%u2019s director of college and career readiness.Indianapolis Public Schools, which participated in the program, said it was %u201csurprised by the sudden and early conclusion%u201d of GEAR UP.%u00a0%u201cThe program has successfully prepared students for college and careers, provided financial aid guidance, and expanded STEM exposure,%u201d the statement continued.%u00a0Other GEAR UP programs continue to operate throughout the country. The Education Department%u00a0announced the latest round%u00a0of awards last week.Eric Weddle is WFYI%u2019s education editor. Contact Eric at%u00a0eweddle@wfyi.org%u00a0or follow him on X at%u00a0@ericweddle.Trump admin cancels $35 million Purdue college prep program in DEI crackdownPurdue University (Photo/Getty Images)