This is an audio transcript of the Weekly News Rundown Episode 27.
Annabel Prokopy: It’s Monday, September 29.
Nate Soco: In university news, the U.S. News and World report released its 2026 college rankings on Tuesday, September 23. Indiana University Bloomington was placed 73rd out of over 400 universities nationwide and 34th in public schools, the same rankings IU received last year. This ranking is based on 17 factors, including peer assessment, first-year retention rates and faculty publication rates. The Kelley School of Business was ranked eighth in the nation for business schools, a spot higher than last year, and the School of Nursing was 13th, the highest it has ever been. Annabel, how did other IU campuses and universities in Indiana place in the rankings?
A: Nate, IU Indianapolis was ranked 192nd in the nation, four spots higher than last year. IU East ranked 40th out of Midwest universities, IU Kokomo 45th, IU South Bend 46th, IU Southeast 48th, and IU Northwest 52nd. The highest ranked university in the state is University of Notre Dame at 20th in the nation. Purdue University is the second highest ranked in the state and 46th in the nation. Indiana University Bloomington is third in the state.
N: Also in university news, the Bloomington Faculty Council met on Tuesday, September 23. The council passed a resolution to support emeritus faculty rights and discussed IU's tenured faculty review system. The resolution followed a lawsuit filed by three retired IU professors against the IU Board of Trustees. The lawsuit challenges a policy that prevents retired faculty from voting on faculty governance issues or serving on faculty governance-related committees and task forces.
N: Maurer School of Law Professor Jeffrey Stake said during the meeting that the policy discourages faculty to retire and sends a message that emeritus professors don’t count. Annabel, what do we know about the tenure faculty review system also discussed at the meeting?
A: The system was established by the policy BOT-24 in May. It requires the reviews of tenured faculty every five years based on teaching, scholarship and service criteria. Performance ratings ranging from “unsatisfactory productivity” to “exceeds productivity expectations” will be judged based on teaching workload, number of students taught, time spent on assignments, oversight of graduate students and research and creative scholarly productivity. Under the policy, faculty who are categorized as not meeting productivity expectations or unsatisfactory productivity, could face performance plans and probation for up to a year. They could also be terminated at the discretion of Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Chancellor David Reingold.
N: Thanks Annabel. In city news, a 2025 Point-in-Time Count report released by the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care showed that the number of people experiencing homelessness in a single night in Monroe County has decreased by 12.8%. Cases have not decreased since 2022.
N: Last year’s Indiana counts were undercounted due to misentered data and not including specific counts for the unsheltered and chronically homeless population. This includes people with disabilities who live in a place not meant for human habitation, and have been homeless for at least 12 months on four separate occasions in the last three years. Despite this undercounting, numbers this year still showed a decrease of 45 people experiencing homelessness. The total count was 305.
A: That’s right, Nate. While the Point-In-Time report showed a decrease in homelessness in Monroe County, 255 more people across Indiana as a whole experienced homelessness - increasing the statewide total to 4,860 people. Director of the Bloomington-based anti-poverty organization Beacon Forrest Gilmore said that more data is needed to determine if the decrease in homelessness is a long-term trend over time. Gilmore cited housing affordability issues contributing to homelessness in the county, saying that if this issue is not addressed, homelessness will persist.
N: The Monroe County Community School Corporation is seeking to decrease its budget for 2026 by $6.2 million - from over $187 million to about $181 million. This includes cuts to the education fund, operations fund and non-classroom positions including staff in cleaning, food service and health. Annabel, why is the school corporation decreasing its budget?
A: Nate, there are two main reasons for this decrease. The first is state legislation: Senate Enrolled Act 1, passed this year, reformed local income taxes and is expected to decrease the school corporation’s revenue by about $17 million over the next three years. Additionally, the corporation will begin sharing tax revenue for operating expenses with charter schools after 2028. The second reason is a decrease in enrollment numbers: the district has lost over 800 students from the 2020-21 school year to the 2023-24 school year. This has resulted in decreased funding from the state. The budget will be up for adoption at the MCCSC board meeting on October 28. It will then receive its 1782 notice in December from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, the final step before certification.
N: Before we sign off, an update in the case regarding Indiana football safety Louis Moore’s eligibility for the 2025 season. The Dallas County 134th Civil District Court granted an injunction on Wednesday, September 24, allowing Moore to play for the entire season. Moore–who played for two years at Navarro College in Texas before transferring to Indiana in 2022–is challenging the NCAA’s Five-Year Rule, which counts time spent playing for junior colleges against athletes’ eligibility. The judge cited potential monetary loss if Moore was found to be ineligible this season. Following the injunction, the NCAA said in a statement to the Indiana Daily Student that it “strongly disagrees” and is concerned that opportunities for high school students to play college football could decrease.
