Last Updated 2 weeks by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Mike Braun on Monday said he plans to talk to officials at Martin University about their needs following a meeting with faith leaders.

The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance protested at Braun’s office Wednesday over Braun’s executive order terminating the state’s diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs, and his administration’s decision not to include any funding for state grants to Martin University in Indianapolis.

Martin University, the state’s only predominantly Black institution of higher education, is a private university but received a $5 million grant from the state in the most recent budget, the first time in its history it ever received any state assistance. The result of that protest was a meeting with the governor on Monday afternoon that ended up lasting nearly half an hour longer than they had planned.

Dr. Lionel Rush, who has a Doctor of Ministry degree, is president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Indianapolis. Rush said it was a tough conversation but a necessary one. On DEI, Rush said, they spoke at length with the governor about what he meant by the term “merit” in his acronym MEI, which stands for merit, excellence and innovation.

Rush said Martin University was a major part of the conversation.

“I think we all went to school a little bit,” he said. “I’m very encouraged by the meeting and I think everyone was very encouraged by the meeting. It was (Braun’s) suggestion, let’s go another 15 minutes.”

Braun said plans to visit Martin University soon to hear more from officials. He said much of the meeting came down to understanding what each side meant in its terminology, such as “diversity” and “equity” or “merit” and “excellence.”

“I think we’ve got enough common ground to where we’re going to come out to something positive from this,” the Republican governor said. “I think there was more eye-to-eye after we started comparing notes on background.”

Two Democratic state senators from Indianapolis, Fady Qaddoura and Andrea Hunley, came in at the very end of the meeting.

Qaddoura, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he has pointed out to the governor and his staff the state has a history of providing grants to private universities, so providing a grant to Martin University is not out of the norm for the state. Qaddoura, of Fishers, said he’s gotten positive signals from Braun’s team and he hopes they lead to restored funding.

The bill containing the 2026-2027 budget is in the House Ways and Means Committee. That committee is holding a series of hearings on different aspects of the state’s budget needs before it finalizes its version of the bill and sends it to the full House for further consideration.

Rush said his group and the governor plan to meet again in the coming weeks.

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