AAU Elects University of Southern California President Carol L. Folt as Next Chair
Earlier this week, AAU announced that its member presidents and chancellors have elected University of Southern California President Carol L. Folt as chair of the AAU Board of Directors. As chair, Folt will help guide AAU’s work and serve as a spokesperson for the association, particularly on federal policy issues affecting research universities. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert J. Jones was elected to serve as vice chair of the board.
Folt is a renowned environmental scientist and has been USC’s president since July 1, 2019. She has previously served two other AAU institutions – the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as president for six years and Dartmouth College, where she built a distinguished career over 30 years. “AAU plays a central role in educating policy makers about the unique role that research universities play in our nation’s well-being and economic health, and I’m delighted in helping to lead such a wonderful organization,” said President Folt.
AAU President Addresses Georgetown Faculty During Fall Convocation
Yesterday, AAU President Barbara R. Snyder delivered the keynote speech at this year’s fall faculty convocation at Georgetown University. The event was held in recognition of Georgetown faculty who have excelled in scholarly endeavors and who have been recently awarded promotions or tenure. President Snyder’s address focused on the aims and goals of America’s leading research universities, especially a high-caliber research university such as Georgetown.
She spoke about how faculty at research universities conduct groundbreaking research that has resulted in everyday technologies such as GPS navigation and LCD-screen technology and emphasized the role they have in helping solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, including climate change. She also discussed the unique role research universities play in promoting the arts and humanities and how the sciences are inextricably linked to the arts and humanities. “While the sciences can improve the way we live and how long we live, the humanities and arts give us something to live for,” she said.
In addition to promoting research and scholarly work, President Snyder noted, research universities also educate students at all levels. She spoke about the recently released Boyer 2030 Commission report on how research universities can achieve both excellence and equity in higher education and specifically highlighted the report’s recommendations on how research universities can support faculty by helping them engage in evidence-informed inclusive pedagogy and mentoring.
President Snyder wrapped up her speech by discussing the role research universities play in enriching their local communities. She also spoke about how Georgetown’s unique position as a premier research university in the nation’s capital gives its students and faculty an unbeatable opportunity to take advantage of the city’s myriad cultural and scientific resources and a front-row seat to the making of public policy. “Georgetown’s founders knew that intellectual growth is a lifelong endeavor, and that the highest and best use of intellectual curiosity and learning is to leverage that learning to serve others,” she said. “These are the values that all first-class research universities … share,” she concluded. A recording of the convocation is available here; President Snyder’s address begins at the 33-minute mark.
Task Force on American Innovation Urges Increased Funding Levels for Federal Science Agencies in FY24
This week, the Task Force on American Innovation (an alliance of industry, professional societies, and university organizations, including AAU) sent letters to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda D. Young urging them to increase investments in the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the NSF in FY24. The letters urged the leaders to ensure that the Biden administration’s FY24 budget includes funding for the agencies at the levels authorized in the CHIPS and Science Act earlier this year.
Part of the Department of Commerce, NIST is responsible for advancing innovation and competitiveness by creating measurement solutions and standards for use in science and technology. TFAI’s letter to Raimondo and Young outlined how NIST drives economic growth and job creation through its Scientific and Technical Research and Services programs and through its manufacturing programs. The letter also highlighted NIST’s leadership role in developing industries of the future, cybersecurity standards, and advanced communications research.
The NSF promotes scientific research, and as TFAI’s letter to Panchanathan and Young noted, supports “one out of every four basic research projects at higher learning institutions across the United States.” The letter noted how Congress has “increasingly and with bipartisan support affirmed the growing role of the NSF in advancing America’s global competitiveness including with the establishment of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) to position NSF to drive innovation in industries and technologies of the future.”
Both letters urged the administration to fulfill the promise of the CHIPS and Science Act by funding NIST and the NSF. “The passage of the CHIPS and Science Act was a necessary first step, and now the significant investments it authorized must be followed by actual appropriations,” TFAI said.
Coalition for National Science Funding Urges Increased Investments in the National Science Foundation
Yesterday, the Coalition for National Science Funding, of which AAU is a member and co-chair, sent letters to lawmakers and government officials urging them to prioritize increased funding for the National Science Foundation in FY23 and FY24.
CNSF sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees urging them to complete FY23 appropriations before the end of the year and to fund NSF at the highest level possible, which is $11.9 billion as authorized in the recently passed bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. The coalition sent another letter to OMB Director Shalanda Young and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar asking them to ensure that the administration requests “$15.65 billion in NSF research and education investments in FY24 as authorized in the CHIPS and Science Act.”
Both letters emphasized that, without additional funding, the NSF will be unable to meet the goals outlined for the agency in the CHIPS and Science Act. The recent law “provided strong support for ambitious NSF growth” and expanded the agency’s mission to “spur more research, increase STEM workforce preparation and participation, and develop a system of regional science and innovation hubs,” the letters noted.
Without additional funding, however, the coalition said, the agency will not be able to fulfill Congress’ vision. As the letter to Young and Prabhakar noted, failure to increase investments “will result in a growing gap between authorized and actual funding that will equate to billions of dollars in lost opportunities to strengthen science, technology, innovation, and the STEM workforce.”
News of Interest
The Hill: Why Diversity in Higher Education Is Worth Fighting For – In an opinion piece, Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves discusses the importance of diversity in higher education and why the upcoming Supreme Court cases on race-conscious admissions are so crucial for colleges and universities. Fenves writes that, if the Supreme Court were to bar race-conscious admissions, colleges and universities would “struggle to recruit diverse classes” and students would miss out on “opportunities for growth, collaboration and shared understanding.”
The Washington Post: U-Md. Expands Tuition Aid for State Residents from Low-Income Families – Starting January, the University of Maryland’s new Terrapin Commitment will cover the tuition and fees for Maryland residents receiving federal Pell Grants. The university described the $20 million annual program as “the largest single-year investment in need-based scholarships” in its history.
Inside Higher Ed: Report: Small Rise in Tuition Rates – A new report from the College Board found that, when adjusted for inflation, college tuition declined during the 2022-23 academic year. According to the report, average tuition and fees rose by 1.8% for in-state students at four-year public universities, 1.6% for students at two-year public universities, and 3.5% for students at four-year private nonprofit universities.
NPR: The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Just Got More Flexible – The Education Department announced earlier this week that it is expanding the types of payments that count as “qualifying” payments for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which is designed to help discharge the debt of borrowers who choose careers in public service. The department also announced other changes to make it easier for borrowers to benefit from the program.
CBS News: Student Loan Forgiveness Is Paused After Court Challenge. Here’s What You Can Do. – An appeals court has temporarily prohibited the Biden administration from discharging any debt for borrowers who have applied to the new student loan forgiveness program. The administration is nevertheless encouraging borrowers to apply for debt relief. Experts are also recommending that borrowers begin planning for the resumption of student loan repayments in January.
Featured Research
Penguin Feathers May Be Secret to Effective Anti-Icing Technology
McGill University researchers have found that penguin feathers have a special “hierarchical arrangement” that allows them to effectively repel both ice and water. The researchers have now replicated the effects “through a laser-machined woven wire mesh” that could be used to prevent ice buildup on electric wires, wind turbines, and airplanes.
Bills with Research Language More Likely to Advance Through Legislative Process
A new study by researchers at Pennsylvania State University shows that bills containing scientific research language (“clinical trial,” “longitudinal study,” and “collect data,” for example) are more likely to be passed out of committee and to be enacted into law. The researchers say that the study shows the power of “evidence-based policy making.”
Stat of the Week
The American Public Strongly Supports Increasing State Funding for Higher Education
Evidence shows that cuts in state funding for public higher education have contributed to rising tuition and costs for students, made it harder for students to enroll and graduate, and worsened inequality. In a recent blog post, AAU President Snyder urged state governments to “reverse their decades-long disinvestment in public colleges and universities and provide new resources to these vital institutions, which educate the majority of American degree-holders.” The American public agrees – a recent poll conducted by Dynata Research on behalf of AAU shows that 70% of Americans support increasing state funding for colleges and universities.