Funding Cuts Threaten Southeast Asia and south Asia Studies at Cornell and Beyond
Recent reductions in federal funding are significantly impacting the study of South and Southeast Asia at Cornell University and across the nation, raising concerns about future expertise in these strategically critically important regions. The cuts, stemming from changes to Title VI of the Higher Education Act, have particularly affected National Resource Centers (NRCs) like Cornell’s South Asia Program (SAP) and Southeast Asia Program (SEAP).
Previously, Title VI funding supported a network of NRCs focusing on diverse world regions. Now, funding for SAP has been reduced by approximately 40%, while SEAP experienced a more drastic 70% cut. This translates to a loss of resources impacting a substantial number of people; SAP’s reach extends to approximately 600 million people,while SEAP’s studies represent 1.9 billion, including India, the world’s second most populous country.
“These are big countries,” stated Professor Pepinsky, highlighting the importance of the affected regions. “They are in the world’s most strategically valuable sea lanes. They have natural resources of untold richness. They are some of the last preserves of global biodiversity. It’s as far away as you can go from here, and it’s big and it’s important.”
A critical outcome of the funding reductions is the elimination of Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships, a cornerstone of both SAP and SEAP. These fellowships, primarily administered through NRCs, provide crucial financial support for graduate and undergraduate students to study languages and conduct fieldwork abroad.
Cornell typically awards around 15 FLAS fellowships annually. this year, only a limited number will be granted using leftover funds, forcing students to seek alternative funding sources, such as teaching assistant positions, and potentially abandon plans for language study and international research.
Phoebe Dailey Wagner, M.P.S. ’24, benefited from a FLAS fellowship to study Hindi and research the impact of climate change on sacred sites in the Indian Himalayas.She emphasized the importance of language proficiency in conducting ethical and insightful research.”I think that there’s a level of respect and understanding that is demonstrated in taking a language study seriously,” Wagner said. “It was not only good preparation on my end, but it also allowed for a deeper level of connection with the people I was speaking with in India.”
Recognizing the need for collaboration, SEAP and seven other NRCs focused on Southeast asia formed the Graduate Education and training in Southeast Asia (GETSEA) consortium in 2020. Led by Cornell, GETSEA aims to support graduate training and expand access to language instruction. The consortium facilitates opportunities for students to take courses at other universities when their desired language isn’t offered at their home institution.
However, the funding cuts have transformed collaboration from a beneficial practice to a necessity. “Before,we were trying to collaborate to meet the needs of individual students who just happened to be at an institution where they couldn’t study that language,” explained Cohn. “Now it’s an existential crisis.”
GETSEA has received a four-year,$1 million grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to bolster its collaborative framework and mitigate the impact of federal funding losses. while a meaningful contribution, Cohn noted that “it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s being lost across all of the institutions that have NRCs.”
Ellen Lust, director of the einaudi Centre, anticipates profound consequences for students and the United States’ future. “If federal funding cuts continue,” Lust said, “it’s going to be key to develop creative solutions like GETSEA to address the gap. We are actively exploring ways to help our students acquire these critical skills for the 21st century.”
