On Sept. 10, the Department of Education sent a notice of non-continuation to all Title VI International Education grant holders, calling these grants “inconsistent with administration priorities.”
Funding cuts hit universities and research centers all throughout the U.S., reallocating approximately $86 million from international education programs. The Center for Canadian-American Studies at Western Washington University was one of those affected, slashing 70% of the center’s budget.
The notice of non-continuation didn’t come as a surprise to the faculty of Can-Am Studies, though. Western faculty knew the cuts were coming. They just didn’t know when or how.
Christina Keppie, the director of Can-Am Studies, had been preparing the budget for this large hit.
“We were hoping that the government would at least allow us to see the end of the 4-year cycle,” Keppie said. “At least that – to finish what we had proposed to do and what we had planned to do.”
Can-Am Studies has received federal grants for decades, relying on the money to support faculty research, fund cross-border field trips for students and hire additional instructors. Despite these cuts, Keppie is fighting to keep as many programs running as possible.
“I make sure that they are managed internally,” said Keppie. “They are services and commitments that we have always made to students, so I’m going to make sure they stay within our base budget.”
Western’s Can-Am Studies has been in a partnership with the University of Washington’s Canadian Study Center since 1986. It’s been a part of a larger consortium in the Pacific Northwest, connecting more than 40 institutions through UW’s center.
“The Canadian Studies Center/Arctic and International Relations will continue as an independent center,” said Assistant VP for Communications, Victor Balta, in a statement.
“We will partner with Western Washington University and other institutions across the country and internationally,” Balta said. “We will continue to play a role in amplifying those voices in Canada and in the Circumpolar World that are bringing new worldviews and ways of thinking to our global community.”
UW has managed to keep programs running, as funding from private donors and partnerships allowed foreign exchange programs and research to continue.
Western and UW run the K-12 Study Canada program, leading efforts to incorporate the geography, history and culture of North America into the K-12 curriculum.
The two universities co-funded the addition of an education specialist to this program three years ago. Now that federal funding has been cut, though, they’re unable to keep the specialist.
“Unfortunately, that will be going away in about four months,” said Keppie. “When I got the letter saying that (funding) was terminated, I didn’t want to let that person go just like that.”
So why did the Department of Education cut these grants? It comes down to the priorities of the Trump Administration.
The notice of non-continuation states that “Congress provided the Department with flexibility in allocating grant funds among higher education programs.” According to the notice, they removed funding based on “programs that are inconsistent with Administration priorities and do not advance American interests of values.”
This open-ended phrasing has allowed the Federal Government massive leeway in deciding what to keep and what to cut.
“It’s part of a much larger pivot from (the U.S.) Federal Government,” said David Rossiter, a professor of geology at Western. Between 2014 and 2018, Rossiter directed Western’s Can-Am Studies.
The Department is required to offer institutes an opportunity to request reconsideration, but noted that all available funding has already been repurposed.
It’s a slap in the face to programs like Can-Am Studies that attempt to provide education about one of the U.S.’s closest allies.
While the administration can remove federal funding, it can’t prevent programs like this from existing. Western’s Can-Am Studies doesn’t have an easy future ahead, but they aren’t letting these cuts slow them down.
“The center existed long before there was a Title VI grant, and many other centers exist without that funding,” Rossiter said. Despite federal grants making up 70% of Can-Am Studies’ funding, there are other avenues for the center to look down.
“I’m going to strategize and focus on how to make a greater impact with what we have,” said Keppie. “Nothing lights a fire under me more than someone telling me that I can’t do something when I know the answer is ‘Yes, I can.’”
Liam Britt (he/him) is a second-year visual journalism major and opinion writer for The Front this quarter. Liam also writes for The Rage, a student-run magazine at WWU. In his time away from work, Liam enjoys going to music venues, skateboarding with friends and getting creative in the kitchen. You can reach him at liambritt.thefront@gmail.com.
