On a sunny Thursday in late August 2025, Indiana University’s campus was abuzz with activity. Language Fest, an annual event designed to showcase the university’s wide array of language programs, had taken on an urgent new tone this year. Colorful booths lined the walkways, staffed by passionate faculty members and students eager to share their love of language learning. But beneath the festive atmosphere, a sense of uncertainty lingered. According to WFIU/WTIU News, IU’s language departments—long considered the most diverse in the nation—are now fighting for their very survival.
At the heart of the issue is a new state law requiring Indiana’s public universities to cut degree programs that graduate too few students. The law, passed earlier this year, has forced Indiana University to make some difficult decisions. The administration volunteered to eliminate or consolidate 245 degree programs, including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees in German, Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and even American Sign Language. The IU Honors Program in Foreign Languages, which for decades sent Indiana high schoolers abroad for language immersion, is also being suspended due to declining enrollment.
The news has sparked a groundswell of opposition. By Thursday afternoon, more than 400 signatures had been collected on a petition urging IU’s president, the board of trustees, and Indiana’s governor to “Save the languages at IU!” The petition, as reported by WFIU/WTIU News, features heartfelt testimonials from students, faculty, and alumni who argue that language programs are essential not just for academic diversity, but for preparing students to thrive in a globalized world.
French professor Nicolas Valazza, one of the most vocal advocates for the programs, stressed the continuing importance of language education. “Students who are majoring in International Studies and maybe minoring or getting a certificate in French because they want to work in West Africa or in an NGO in Haiti, French is fundamental for them,” Valazza explained. “That’s one more reason to keep these programs, even if it doesn’t lead to many diplomas.”
Valazza’s point resonates with many students who see language skills as crucial for their future careers, even if they don’t plan to major in the field. Incoming freshman Colton Ragsdale, for example, told WFIU/WTIU News that he plans to major in linguistics and minor in German or Russian. He worries that suspending language degrees could have far-reaching consequences. “In the United States, that's kind of like a big problem compared to the rest of the world, where we don’t really have as much of an incentive to learn other languages,” Ragsdale said. “I feel like overall that could start to minimize people’s opportunities.”
The threat to language education at IU is not occurring in a vacuum. Across the country, universities are facing similar pressures to streamline their offerings, often at the expense of smaller or less popular programs. Yet the stories of students whose lives have been transformed by language study offer a powerful counterpoint to the numbers-driven logic of program cuts.
Consider the experience of Rachel Brown, a sophomore at Clemson University, who spent her summer exploring the intersection of language, culture, and health. According to Clemson University News, Brown began her summer at MedEx Academy, a Prisma Health program that immerses students in the world of healthcare. There, she shadowed professionals, attended lectures, and participated in medical ethics conversations. One particularly memorable exercise involved a simulation led by a representative from the South Carolina Addiction and Treatment Center. Students role-played as individuals recently released from treatment, tasked with navigating a maze of bureaucratic hurdles with limited resources and time. “To me, it was so eye-opening because a lot of times I think people tend to judge people without knowing their background, which is cliché, but true,” Brown reflected. “And until you’re in there experiencing it, you can’t see how frustrating it is to need to get one item, but before you can get that item, you have to get all these other things. You feel like you’re running out of time and are tempted to use things as a last resort.”
Brown’s journey didn’t end there. In July, she traveled to Costa Rica to teach English at a local daycare through Maximo Nivel, a Spanish-immersion program. There, she worked with children of all ages, engaging them in Spanish and teaching them English words and phrases as part of their daily activities. The experience was as much about cultural exchange as it was about language instruction. Brown and her team taught and learned traditional dances, discovering that despite differences in language, the core of human interaction remains much the same. “The language doesn’t propose a barrier in the sense that we’re different in our interactions, but just that we’re different in how we express ourselves and how we’re listening to other people,” she explained.
For Brown, the summer’s experiences provided clarity—not just about her own career path, but about the importance of empathy and cross-cultural understanding. “You don’t need to know somebody a long time to develop a strong relationship with them and develop trust. It’s genuinely the quality that you have and the authenticity that you have with that individual that can really make a profound impact on their life, and therefore their habits and their health status as well. I think that’s something we can implement in any field as long as we’re working and interacting with individuals,” Brown said.
Stories like Brown’s highlight what’s at stake when language programs are cut. While the number of students graduating with language degrees may be small, the ripple effects of language education are profound—touching everything from international health and diplomacy to business, science, and the arts. As Professor Valazza and others argue, the value of these programs can’t always be measured by diplomas alone.
At IU’s Language Fest, instructors did their best to make their case to incoming students, hoping to spark the same passion that inspired Brown and countless others to pursue language study. But with the new law in place and degree cuts looming, the future remains uncertain. For now, advocates are relying on grassroots efforts—petitions, testimonials, and public events—to keep the conversation alive and remind university leaders of what could be lost.
As the debate continues, one thing is clear: the decision to cut or preserve language programs will have lasting consequences, not just for Indiana University, but for the broader landscape of American higher education. The stories of students like Rachel Brown serve as a poignant reminder that language is more than a subject—it’s a bridge to understanding, opportunity, and the wider world.
