A Conversation with Herman B Wells: Seven Tribulations of Higher Education at Indiana University, Bloomington

Seven Tribulations of Higher Education

Indiana University, Bloomington

Like the Ten Plagues visited on the ancient Egyptian Pharoah, today American universities struggle with the Seven Tribulations of Higher Education.  Sadly, great flagship universities, like Indiana University, Bloomington, suffer from these tribulations. Actually, there are more than 7 or 10 tribulations. These tribulations involve dozens of intermingling jetties of mean-spirited national and state bigotries posing as populist politics. They are often cover for greedy efforts by the wealthy to lower their own taxes and undermine basic benefits for the poor in our nation and world. Birthed in ignorance of history and implemented with arrogance, they also, sadly, undercut educational opportunities for future generations of our children and youth.

These seven tribulations are mentioned in a series of four brief video recordings. These recordings were made alongside four of the remarkable leaders in the history of Indiana University. The video featuring Herman B Wells speaks of Academic Freedom, Equity and Racial Justice, Strong Community Relationships, and the right to Peaceful Protest. The video featuring Ernie Pyle speaks to the Freedom of the Press. The video featuring Alfred Kinsey speaks of the significance of scientific research. Finally, the video featuring Elinor Ostrom, speaks to the value of an Economic and Environmental Commons. 

Here is more background to accompany the Seven Tribulations of Higher Education videos:

1)  Academic Freedom: In recent years professors have been suspended, censured, or threatened for holding unpopular views; graduate student worker requests for better pay are ignored; a long-scheduled art exhibit was cancelled at the last minute; support for academic centers like the Kinsey Institute has been withheld; and, attacks on faculty from members of the state legislature pertaining to course content, faculty hiring and evaluation processes have been met with complicit silence. In April 2024, by large majorities, the faculty voted “no confidence” in the president, provost and vice provost. The “no confidence” vote on the president was over 93%. Following this, the board of trustees indicated “full support” for the president and offered scant attention to attacks on academic freedom.  (#1 video is at the statue with former president and chancellor, Herman B Wells)

2)  Equity and Racial Justice: The university commitment to an equal and accessible education for all has been attacked, undercut and greatly diminished. Again, this has been led by state house crafted legislative attacks on programs and funds designed to provide equal access to education for ALL students. The current national administration joins in a racist commitment to end all programming that is said to fall under the rubric of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or DEI. The irony, of course, is that this hurts ALL students, including white students from low-wealth communities. I.U. has removed all DEI language from the university website. Posters on campus reading “Build a community where all belong” are being removed. The extent of the DEI cleansing is outlined in this article from the Indiana Daily Student: https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/03/iu-dei-removed-diversity-language-website-posters. Addressing bigotry and discrimination based on race or wealth was once a core value of the university’s mission. As a Christian pastor, let me clearly name this as unbridled RACISM and an attack on the poor. (#2 Dr. Herman B Wells represented the idea in his actions and leadership that ALL students, no matter race, or wealth, should be afforded an opportunity for higher education.)

3)  Strong Community and International Relationships. As the flagship campus, I.U. Bloomington, has historically modeled a collaborative approach to the quality of life and environmental well-being of Monroe County and surrounding communities. This model has been replicated in other I. U. campus communities. Today the university offers few such cooperative efforts. I.U. Bloomington has increased enrollments without providing additional dormitory or apartment space, with little or no consultation with the city. As a result, Bloomington is among the most expensive cities in Indiana in terms of housing expenses and is below average income in the state for its workers. I.U. Bloomington has failed to lead in efforts to assist in planning that would welcome a racially and economically diverse citizenry, improve low-income housing options and provide stronger wages. There is little long-range cooperative planning efforts with the City of Bloomington or Monroe County. Other cities where Big Ten university flagship campuses are located have demonstrated the value of such cooperation. Administrative leaders are largely absent from social service, artistic, religious, economic development, housing, philanthropic and public boards or community celebrations. At the international level I.U. has been a center for language studies and efforts to build civil societies around the world. I.U. has also been a place where international students are welcomed and valued. Academic centers like the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies or the Kelley School of Business face new challenges to a core mission of building international practices of democratic civic and commercial engagement. Anti-immigrant activities in our nation and endorsed by the current Indiana governor serve to threaten this long-practiced hospitality. (#3 Herman B Wells understood that building strong human relationships was as essential to a successful university as the garnering of power and control though political or judicial alliances. Dr. Wells work served as an underpinning for the educational and cultural programs of the Marshall Plan following World War II).

4)   The Right to Peaceful Protest. Freedom to demonstrate and offer alternative perspectives is being denied at Indiana University. In early 2024 The Council on American Islamic Relations cited “Indiana University a ‘hostile campus’ for Muslim, Palestinian and Arab students.” The attacks on innocent Israelis on October 6th, 2023, resulted in 1,200 murders and more than 250 captives taken into Gaza by Hamas. This remains a horrific event. The response of Israeli government has resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 persons in Gaza. Should not the university be a place where all sides to this ongoing tragedy be offered a hearing? Yes. Isn’t the work of a university to prepare students to dialogue respectfully with others who differ. One wonders why the heavy-handed behaviors of the administration with last minute “Expressive Activity Policy” changes, the denial of space for meetings, the involvement of state police in clearing out protestors, the placing of snipers on the roof of the Memorial Union and the arrest of 45 students and faculty was more a signal that intimidation and reactive control as the chosen option over seeking and providing a place for respectful dissent and dialogue. (#4 Herman B Wells knew the importance of civil dialogue and the place for dissent as he was engaged with students over multiple national and international crises.)

5)  Press freedom. The Indiana Daily Student newspaper, the I.U. Media School and the PBS television and radio stations (WTIU and WFIU) are in jeopardy of financial loss and the claim reporting is “misinformation.” Members of the House of Representatives Subcommittee known as DOGE (Department on Government Efficiency) continued demands to defund all public media. Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith threatened the Indiana Daily Student saying it promoted “WOKE propaganda” and that higher education centers like I.U. are “a complete jokes and indoctrination centers.” (#5 I.U. graduate Ernie Pyle, died covering WWII in the battle for Okinawa. He was a strong advocate for telling “the full story’ that involved features on the often overlooked “little guy.”)

6)  Support for Scientific Research. The tribulation surrounding support for scientific research comes from both the White House and the Indiana Legislature. There have been mass firings at the Center for Disease Control, the National Institute for Health, USAID, and environmental protection programs related to EPA, NOAH and NASA. Such bodies support tens of millions of dollars in research initiatives at I.U. Universities across the nation are threatened, as was Columbia University with the loss of research funds in March 2025. In February of 2025 a town hall meeting “Stand up for Science” was held with more than 150 participants of gathered faculty “Concerned Scientists at I.U.” and students, “Advocates for Science at I.U.”, on the Bloomington campus. The goal is to counter the “broad-side attack on the sciences and on universities as a whole.” One clear anti-science initiative passed by the Indiana House in 2023 was an attack on the work of the Kinsey Institute. In 2023, the Indiana General Assembly passed Act 1001 stating that “Indiana appropriations may not be used to pay for the administration, operation, or programs of the Kinsey Institute.” (#6 Kinsey)

7)  Value of Economic and Environmental Commons.  The massive layoffs underway slowing or shuttering local and international government activities threaten future opportunities for I.U. graduates to find meaningful employment and diminish the current and future research options for faculty. Cuts to USAID, FEMA, EPA, Medicaid, local community health initiatives (WIC – women and infant children), and feeding activities thought efforts like SNAP undermine future economic, environmental and health options for hundreds of millions in our world. I.U. Political Economist Professor Elinor Olstrom, winner of the Noble Prize in 2009, offered an approach to improve governance, economic and environmental practice – it was known as polycentric engagement. Her research demonstrated the value of persons working as part of a Commons – where polycentric engagement valued the diversity within communities and economic regions and offered ways to move to stronger governance that would benefit all. (#7 Olstrom)