AAU Leaders Meet with President Zelenskyy to Discuss Future of Ukrainian Higher Education
On Monday, the presidents, chancellors, and provosts of several AAU institutions as well as AAU President Barbara R. Snyder met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the future of Ukrainian higher education. The meeting focused on how America’s leading research universities can assist Ukraine in rebuilding its higher education system after the war ends. The meeting was streamed live to AAU campus communities for students, faculty, and staff to watch. A recording of President Zelenskyy’s remarks as well as the ensuing dialogue with AAU leaders is now available on YouTube.
President Zelenskyy began the meeting by speaking directly to American students about the need to actively resist injustice when they see it happening around them. In the face of Russian aggression, Zelenskyy said, Ukrainians chose resistance and aspired toward freedom. Young people also have the power to choose and to be actors instead of bystanders, he said.
Following his powerful opening remarks, Zelenskyy answered a range of questions from AAU leaders, including on the state of education in Ukraine and the resiliency of Ukrainian students, faculty, and staff; Ukraine’s plans for the future of higher education and how AAU members can help; how universities can fight against the weaponization of misinformation and disinformation; and how universities should approach assisting not just Ukrainian students but students from neighboring regions, including Russia.
President Zelenskyy spoke frankly about the impact of the Russian invasion on all aspects of the Ukrainian education sector, from the bombardment of schools, universities, and libraries to the displacement of students and scholars internally in Ukraine and elsewhere. Nevertheless, he expressed optimism that education was making a comeback in the country – many students have been able to continue their education online, and testing and entrance exams are resuming. Throughout his remarks, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for displaced students and researchers to return to Ukraine when the war ends. “We cannot lose the power of youth, the power and energy of young people, without which we can have no future and we cannot create anything,” he said.
Zelenskyy also spoke about Ukrainian values and the Ukrainian people’s quest for freedom and democracy. In response to a question from University of California, Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman on what he would like to say to students about the importance of democracy, Zelenskyy spoke about how war lays bare the significance of the right to live and the freedom to choose the path one takes in life. He encouraged students to learn from Ukraine’s example and to contemplate the necessity to stand up for one’s values especially during peacetime.
Monday’s meeting between President Zelenskyy and the leaders of AAU member universities was the result of discussions with Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova and other Ukrainian officials. AAU thanks the Embassy of Ukraine and Ambassador Markarova for initiating this important conversation.
AAU Seeks Interns for Fall 2022
AAU is offering an internship program at our D.C. headquarters for current college students starting this fall. We’re seeking talented and driven students from anywhere in the nation for this in-person, part-time, and paid opportunity. Interns will gain exposure to Congress, higher education and scientific associations, university government relations representatives, the executive branch, and federal agencies. A detailed job description can be found on the AAU website.
Questions regarding the internship program can be directed to Giacomo Squatriti or Alexander Perez of the AAU staff.
DHS Announces Process for Afghans to Register for Temporary Protected Status
The Department of Homeland Security posted a notice yesterday providing information on how, starting today, eligible Afghan nationals can register for Temporary Protected Status as well as Special Student Relief. This notice follows DHS’s March announcement that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had extended TPS to certain Afghan nationals in the United States through November 20, 2023.
Temporary Protected Status is a benefit that protects beneficiaries from deportation and allows them to live and work in the United States and to apply for travel authorization. It does not, however, provide a path to obtaining a green card or U.S. citizenship. TPS is usually granted to individuals from countries that are facing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or extraordinary and temporary conditions. Special Student Relief allows F-1 nonimmigrant students to request employment authorization, work an increased number of hours, and reduce their course load without affecting their immigration status.
To be eligible for TPS, Afghan nationals, including Afghan students and scholars, must have continuously resided in the United States since March 15, 2022. Applicants must also meet other eligibility requirements and undergo security and background checks. More information on how to apply for TPS and eligibility requirements is available in the Federal Register.
ED Releases New Guidance to Support Student, Faculty, and Staff Mental Health
Yesterday, the Department of Education announced that colleges can now use Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds to provide mental health resources for students, faculty, and staff. According to ED, the American Rescue Plan provided nearly $40 billion through HEERF to help colleges and universities meet urgent student needs during the pandemic; the original guidance did not specify that the emergency funds could be used to address mental health needs on campus. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said that the new guidance “will equip higher education leaders with promising strategies for how they can use American Rescue Plan dollars to connect students to the services they need and to better support mental health and wellness throughout their campus communities.”
Studies have shown that students’ mental health has worsened during the pandemic and become a pressing concern for many colleges. In April, AAU joined 89 other associations and organizations in urging Congress “to support and prioritize the mental and behavioral health needs” of students in higher education. The new guidance from ED provides several examples of how colleges can use HEERF grants to support mental health on campus, including providing mental health and substance use disorder services; expanding telehealth options; organizing wellness programs; creating suicide prevention training and peer support programs; and more.
The Department of Homeland Security posted a notice yesterday providing information on how, starting today, eligible Afghan nationals can register for Temporary Protected Status as well as Special Student Relief. This notice follows DHS’s March announcement that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had extended TPS to certain Afghan nationals in the United States through November 20, 2023.
Temporary Protected Status is a benefit that protects beneficiaries from deportation and allows them to live and work in the United States and to apply for travel authorization. It does not, however, provide a path to obtaining a green card or U.S. citizenship. TPS is usually granted to individuals from countries that are facing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or extraordinary and temporary conditions. Special Student Relief allows F-1 nonimmigrant students to request employment authorization, work an increased number of hours, and reduce their course load without affecting their immigration status.
To be eligible for TPS, Afghan nationals, including Afghan students and scholars, must have continuously resided in the United States since March 15, 2022. Applicants must also meet other eligibility requirements and undergo security and background checks. More information on how to apply for TPS and eligibility requirements is available in the Federal Register.
Coalition for Aerospace and Science Requests $9 Billion for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate
The Coalition for Aerospace and Science sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies requesting at least $27.84 billion in funding for NASA in FY23, including $9 billion for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. CAS is an alliance of prominent industry, academic, and scientific organizations, including AAU, that advocates for strong federal investments in NASA. The Science Mission Directorate works with the scientific community and uses satellites and probes to conduct space exploration. The letter states that $9 billion for NASA’s SMD would “maintain the current slate of SMD activities while accommodating the planned cost peaks of missions in development, enable new competitive mission opportunities across all mission sizes, and continue support for individual investigator grant programs that are crucial for supporting the next generation of researchers.”
CAS also included a request for $154 million for the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM), including $65 million for the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Project. OSTEM supports efforts to diversify NASA’s STEM workforce; investments in the office, the letter notes, would help NASA “attract, fully engage, and retain the best talent available in the face of stiff competition from other science and technology sectors.”
News of Interest
AP News: Regents Pick UCLA Law School Dean to Lead UW-Madison – The regents of the University of Wisconsin system announced Monday that they have chosen UCLA School of Law Dean Jennifer Mnookin as the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mnookin will succeed Chancellor Rebecca Blank and will start on August 4.
Reuters: Stanford Law Scraps All Tuition for Low-Income Students, Joining Yale – Stanford Law School announced last week that, starting next year, it will provide full-tuition scholarships to “current and incoming students whose family income is below 150% of the poverty line.” The law school also announced financial aid measures for students who take lower-paying public interest jobs during the summer or upon graduation.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette: University of Iowa Art Museum Returning Artifacts Pillaged from Today’s Nigeria in 1897 – The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art is seeking to repatriate artifacts in its collection that were plundered by the British in 1897 from the Kingdom of Benin, which is in present-day Nigeria. According to the museum, as well as reporting from The Washington Post, several institutions around the country, including the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, are seeking to repatriate objects stolen from Benin in 1897.
Inside Higher Ed: Decline in Male, Black and Latino Students Planning on College – A YouthTruth survey found that fewer Latino, Black, and male high school seniors in 2022 wish to go to college upon graduation as compared to high school seniors in 2019. The survey portends continuing enrollment problems for community colleges in the year to come and suggests that low unemployment numbers and growing inflation are discouraging students from pursuing higher education.
Higher Ed Dive: White House Eyes Digital Divide with Discount for Low-Income Families – A new White House initiative will allow low-income Americans, including students who receive Pell Grants, to get low-cost high-speed internet. The Affordable Connectivity Program is funded by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November.
CNN: Taylor Swift Tells Grads to Embrace Cringe in NYU Commencement Speech – Pop star Taylor Swift delivered this year’s commencement address for New York University graduates at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. Swift focused her address on how students can “navigate post-graduate and early-career life.” She was also awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts.
Featured Research
Opioid Overdose Detection Patch Under Development, Funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse
Bioengineers at Indiana University are developing a patch to detect and treat an opioid overdose in real time. The patch would connect to a wearer’s smartphone, which would use artificial intelligence to detect an overdose; if an overdose is detected, the patch would administer life-saving naloxone.
Mapping the Digital Divide: Data Reveals Internet Inequities Across the Country
University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute has unveiled a new data portal that maps internet connectivity, reliability, and performance in 20 cities across the country. The project seeks to make it easier for policymakers to bridge the “digital divide” by improving internet connectivity in the neighborhoods that need it the most.