The IU Board of Trustees voted Friday morning to table their discussion on the future of the Kinsey Institute.
Their anticipated decision today would have determined whether the Kinsey Institute would be split between a nonprofit to handle administration without university funding and the Kinsey name and collections, which would have remained at IU.
At the meeting in Indianapolis, Chair of the Board of Trustees W. Quinn Buckner maintained that “Indiana University requires a mechanism to fund and operate a small piece of the Kinsey Institute operations” to comply with a new state law banning public funds from the Institute while allowing it to continue operating. He said that the administration’s recent plan would’ve ensured that.
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Buckner added that he asked General Counsel Anthony Prather to advise President Pamela Whitten and Provost Rahul Shrivastav to create another solution that the trustees would vote on at a future meeting.
Whitten replied that the trustees’ decision would “provide us invaluable time to work together – with our faculty and staff, with alumni and friends and with other key stakeholders.”
Executive Director of the Kinsey Institute Justin Garcia said in a statement to Indiana Public Media that he was “humbled by the support of our many engaged constituents in Indiana and worldwide.” He added that he appreciated “the strong supports and commitments of IU leadership as we collaborate with faculty, staff and students to ensure the Kinsey Institute's future at IU.”
Listen: The Kinsey institute faces possible separation from Indiana University
The next trustee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 29 – Mar. 1 at IU Southeast in New Albany.
This story has been updated.
