CONTENTS:
- AAU Expresses Strong Support for OSTP Director Nomination
- White House Outlines FY20 R&D Priorities
- Budget and Appropriations Update
- Senate Committee Approves National Quantum Initiative Act
- AAU, 36 Others File Amicus Brief in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard
- Education Department Announces Higher Education Deregulation Agenda
- Associations Express Concerns with Forever G.I. Bill Implementation
AAU EXPRESSES STRONG SUPPORT FOR OSTP DIRECTOR NOMINATION
Late Tuesday, President Trump announced his intention to nominate Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier to Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Droegemeier currently serves as Vice President for Research and Regents’ Professor of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma and as Oklahoma Cabinet Secretary of Science and Technology. Dr. Droegemeier served two six-year terms (four years as Vice Chairman) on the National Science Board, under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He earned his B.S. in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma and M.S. and Ph.D. in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Droegemeier is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science.
AAU President Mary Sue Coleman issued a statement praising the selection and urging the Senate to quickly confirm his nomination.
WHITE HOUSE OUTLINES FY20 R&D PRIORITIES
The administration released a memorandum Tuesday outlining FY20 research & development priorities. Among the priorities are R&D investments in security, artificial intelligence, quantum sciences, manufacturing, space exploration, energy, medical innovation, and agriculture. The heads of the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy each year provide guidance to federal agency leaders as they develop budgets for their research and related programs. Included in the memo that was not in the FY19 memo is mention of industry and academic collaboration, which encourages agencies to engage in “public-private collaborations to help align basic research with future private sector needs.” It goes on, “Innovative partnership models involving other agencies, state and local governments, the private sector, academia, and international parties can help maximize utilization of federal facilities and lead to sharing the costs of new R&D facilities.”
A notable exclusion from the FY20 memo is a directive – issued in the FY19 memo – to ensure new proposed research programs are based on “sound science,” not duplicative of existing R&D efforts, and have the potential to contribute to the public good.
This year’s memo also encourages agencies to prioritize initiatives that reskill Americans for the jobs of today and the future, “Education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including computer science, will be fundamental to preparing America’s future workforce, and should be integrated into instruction through application to real world challenges.” The directive notes agencies should work to ensure the STEM workforce includes all Americans, including urban, rural and those from underrepresented groups.
BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE
By a 92-6 vote, the Senate passed a four-bill FY19 minibus spending package (H.R. 6147) Wednesday, which combines Interior-Environment, Financial Services, Transportation-HUD, and Agriculture-FDA. Senate leaders hope to also combine the two largest spending bills into a single package – Department of Defense and Labor-HHS-Education – and vote on the measure sometime this month. Roll Call reports that some House conservatives are considering sinking the combined FY19 DOD-Labor-HHS-Education bill when it reaches the House floor. Opponents to the combined DOD-Labor-HHS-Education spending package fear it would leave conservatives with little leverage in a lame-duck session immigration and border security debate.
Meanwhile, President Trump this week has repeatedly signaled his willingness to shut down the government should Congress fail to fund a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Senate is in recess until August 15. Upon their return, Senators are expected to that week take up the next package of FY19 spending measures, including combining the two largest into a single package – Department of Defense and Labor-HHS-Education. The House is in recess until after Labor Day.
See AAU’s updated FY19 Funding Priorities table here.
SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES NATIONAL QUANTUM INITIATIVE ACT
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved the National Quantum Initiative Act (S. 3143). The bipartisan bill authorizes between $350 to $550 million in new funds over the next five years for quantum science. The Committee adopted several amendments, including one offered by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) that calls for a coordinated interagency budget for quantum information science research, to ensure the maintenance of balanced portfolio and appropriate funding levels for this research. The bill now moves to the Senate floor for consideration. Likewise, the House companion bill (H.R. 6227) may be considered on the House floor next month.
Recently, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Senator John Thune (R-SD) co-authored a piece in the Dallas Morning News, "U.S. Must Win the Race Against China and Europe On Quantum Computing," to emphasize the importance of federal investment in quantum information science and computing.
AAU, 36 OTHER ORGANIZATIONS FILE AMICUS BRIEF IN
STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS V. HARVARD
AAU and 36 other higher education groups this week filed an amicus brief in support of Harvard University's holistic admissions policy, including the use of race as one of many factors in reviewing applicants. This approach, the associations write, ensures colleges and universities may determine within broad limits the diversity that will advance each institution's mission and achieve the goal of a talented, diverse student body. AAU President Mary Sue Coleman issued a statement to highlight AAU's and the community's support for holistic admissions policies.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES HIGHER EDUCATION DEREGULATION AGENDA
The Education Department earlier this week announced it will form a rulemaking committee in January to begin negotiating revisions to federal accreditation rules, including how accreditors oversee colleges and how they measure job placement rates and educational quality. The department also announced plans to rewrite state authorization rules and consider changes to the federal "credit hour" definition. The department will hold public hearings on the proposed rule changes, beginning September 6 in Washington DC, followed by a September 11 hearing in New Orleans, and a September 13 hearing in Sturtevant, Wisconsin.
ASSOCIATIONS EXPRESS CONCERNS WITH FOREVER G.I. BILL IMPLEMENTATION
AAU and five other higher education associations wrote to the Department of Veterans Affairs yesterday to express concerns with the proposed implementation of section 107 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act (P.L. 115-48), also known as the Forever G.I. bill. Citing provisions that would require universities to report the ZIP code for every class in which a veteran has enrolled and the ZIP code for any internship, practicum, or externship, the associations write that the VA’s interpretation of the law is incorrect and unnecessarily burdensome.
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