NEW ALBANY, Ind. — The IU Board of Trustees are set to vote Friday on whether to separate the Kinsey Institute from the university.
The meeting agenda, set to take place on Thursday and Friday at IU Southeast in New Albany, shows the vote would decide whether or not to designate the institute as a nonprofit.
In November, the IU Board of Trustees tabled a vote on a proposal regarding the future of Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute.
The proposal would have establish a nonprofit organization to fund and operate “a small portion” of the Kinsey Institute. It would also keep the Kinsey Institute at the university, and preserve its name, faculty, and collections. The only change would be a the source of percentage of funds for the institute.
Historically, the institute has been funded through the IU general fund. The proposal came after an Indiana law passed to prohibit IU from using taxpayer dollars to support the Kinsey Institute.
However, IU President Pamela Whitten voiced concerns over the debate.
“As I said when the legislation first passed, singling out and restricting funding for a specific research institute sets a troubling precedent,” Whitten said in a statement. “We have shared a commitment to create a solution that will ensure the Kinsey Institute and its collections remain at Indiana University.”
“The university is committed to the ongoing world-renowned research and robust scholarship conducted by IU faculty and the Kinsey Institute,” Whitten said. “I look forward to our collaboration as we ensure that the Kinsey Institute continues as a beacon of academic freedom at IU for decades to come.”
