Department of Education

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.”

This table represents the current status of FY22 appropriations for AAU’s funding priorities at the Departments of Education, Energy, and Defense as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, AFRI, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Status of FY22 appropriations including the President’s FY22 Budget Request for AAU’s funding priorities at the Department of Education including Title IV and Title VI funding.

AAU joined six other higher education associations in sending a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging the Department of Education and the Biden administration to “develop and publicly share a clear plan to transition federal student loan borrowers back into repayment as soon as possible.”

AAU joined ACE and four other higher education associations in sending a letter urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to bring the nomination of James Kvaal as under secretary of education to the Senate floor for a vote.

AAU joined ACE and six other higher education associations in sending a letter to Senate HELP Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) expressing enthusiastic support for Lisa Brown’s nomination for the role of general counsel in the Department of Education.

The Department of Education’s Title VI (domestic) and Fulbright-Hays (overseas) programs are the federal government’s most comprehensive programs for developing national capacity in foreign language and area studies expertise. These programs support instruction in less-commonly taught languages—particularly from regions of U.S. strategic interest—and research on cultural issues important to economic and national security. These programs educate individuals whose skills help ensure the successful international engagement of the U.S. education, government, and business sectors.

High quality research on the science of teaching and learning is critical to the nations educational institutions ability to deliver students high’ quality education. Just as we invest federal resources in biomedical research to prevent and treat disease, so too must we invest in education research that can improve our understanding of how students learn and what makes an effective teacher. Investments in education research lead to improved teaching practices and student achievement, which are both essential to U.S. economic competitiveness.

An overview of the President's proposed budget for FY22, including summaries and analyses for individual agencies.

AAU joined ACE and 40 other higher education associations in sending a letter to Chairwoman Murray and Ranking Member Burr in supporting James Kvaal to be Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education.