AAU, ACE, and 17 other higher education organizations sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urging the Senate to vote in favor of James Kvaal’s nomination as under secretary of education. The under secretary of education oversees postsecondary education policy and manages issues such as student loan repayment and the administration of emergency relief programs. The letter stated: “Over the course of his career, we have come to know Mr. Kvaal as an effective, thoughtful, and objective expert in higher education policy. These traits will serve him, and our nation’s students and educators, well in the role of Under Secretary.”
AAU joined ACE and more than 20 other higher education organizations in a letter to House Education and Labor Committee leaders expressing appreciation for the committee’s draft reconciliation bill including substantial investments in students, educators, and institutions. These investments include a proposed $500 increase to the Pell Grant maximum award.
AAU joined other leading higher-education associations in a letter to House and Senate committee leaders expressing serious concerns about provisions of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, the NSF for the Future Act, and the Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement (EAGLE) Act as those bills go to conference. In particular, the letter asks for removal of provisions that, while designed to enhance research security, would actually be counterproductive or unnecessarily onerous.
On September 3, AAU joined nine other higher-education associations in sending a letter to House and Senate appropriators to urge them to repeal the taxability of Pell grants by incorporating the “Tax-Free Pell Grant Act” as part of their final FY2022 reconciliation agreement.
AAU joined with APLU in sending a letter to Secretary Blinken and Secretary Mayorkas offering assistance as efforts to evacuate and support at-risk Afghan students and scholars continue.
AAU joined ACE and six other higher education associations in sending a comment letter asking the Department of Education to withdraw its proposed information collection on reporting requirements for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund program.
AAU Sends Letter to Congressional Leaders Outlining Priorities for Research Competitiveness Measures
AAU President Barbara R. Snyder sent a letter to House and Senate leaders outlining priorities for several key provisions that Congress is discussing as part of the conference process for S. 1260, H.R. 2225, H.R. 3593, and other related measures.
Letters | Technology Transfer | Science & Security | National Science Foundation | Innovation and Competitiveness | Department of Energy
The Coalition for National Security Research, of which AAU is a member, sent a letter congratulating Heidi Shyu on her confirmation as the next under secretary of defense for research and engineering.
AAU joined CUPA-HR and 11 other higher education organizations in sending a letter to USCIS Director Ur Jaddou requesting an extension of previously announced flexibilities on Form I-9 compliance requirements. The initial guidance, issued at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, permits remote inspection of employee identity and employment authorization documents; it expires on August 31, 2021.
AAU, ACE, and 59 other higher education associations sent a letter to leaders of the House and the Senate underscoring the pressing need for Congress to provide permanent legal protections for DACA recipients and all Dreamers.