U-M senior and international studies major Tyler Nguyen says the Southeast Asian Studies program helped him explore the makings of his American identity. The funding cuts have only strengthened his resolve to one day work for the federal government. | Mark Bialek
On September 10, the U.S. Department of Education abruptly canceled all federal funding for International Education and Foreign Language Studies programs across the country, including the U-M Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS).
According to the Department of Education’s FY2026 budget summary, the funding cuts stem from a broader policy decision to eliminate programs deemed “inconsistent with Administration priorities and [that] do not advance American interests or values.”
In an email to the CSEAS community, director Mike McGovern said he was “sad and, frankly, ashamed” to deliver the news, noting that the decision undermines decades of work fostering understanding between the U.S. and Southeast Asia.
For Tyler Nguyen, a senior majoring in international studies with a concentration in Southeast Asia, the news felt deeply personal. As the son of Vietnamese refugees, the program has helped him explore the makings of his American identity.
“It’s literally through programs like CSEAS that I’ve dived into how refugees have made it in this country, starting new lives and families in spite of war, displacement, poverty, and violence. America has been home to a generation of Southeast Asian refugees for more than fifty years,” he says. “To claim that Southeast Asian Studies does not advance ‘American values’ sends a message to our communities that we have never had a claim here. But we are here. I was born here. My family are all citizens. I’ve never been to Vietnam. This is the only country I’ve ever known.”
The loss of federal funding represents a 20 percent cut to the annual budget for the U-M International Institute (II), which hosts programs like CSEAS. The funding had supported instruction in eight less commonly taught languages, including Vietnamese, as well as paying for nine lecturers and nearly 80 classes over the last two years. The loss endangers the fellowships and resource centers that have made U-M a leader in world language education.
In his email, McGovern vowed that the CSEAS “will continue and indeed thrive,” pledging to find new ways to sustain its programs and partnerships. And on December 5, II is holding a Languages Summit to discuss strategies for moving forward.
For Nguyen, the setback has reinforced his dream to work for the federal government. “I hold dual identities, not dual loyalties. I am an American, but will not sign off on government cruelty, past or present,” he says. “I want a government that cares about our well-being and respects human dignity. That’s why I study what I study.”