- AAU President Urges Congress to Finish FY19 Appropriations
- AAU President Expresses Deep Objections to Reported HHS Proposal
- Education Department Proposes New Title IX Rules
- AAU Submits Nominations for Accreditation and Innovation Rulemaking Committee
- Associations Express Concerns with Veterans’ Education Bill Implementation
- 2018 Open Doors report Finds Enrollment of New Foreign Students Down
- Congressional Panel on Budget & Appropriations Process Reform Releases Recommendations
AAU PRESIDENT URGES CONGRESS TO FINISH FY19 APPROPRIATIONS
President Mary Sue Coleman today wrote to congressional leaders to ask they pass the remaining FY19 appropriations measures and avoid a government shutdown in December. The letter notes that several AAU priority research programs remain un-funded for FY19, including NSF, NASA, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).
AAU PRESIDENT EXPRESSES DEEP OBJECTIONS TO REPORTED HHS PROPOSAL
President Mary Sue Coleman last week transmitted a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Azar and Education Secretary DeVos to express her deep objections to the reported proposal that seeks to limit the legal definition of sex to either female or male as determined by a person’s genitals at birth. The letter says, “We urge you to reject the proposal and ensure that any potential policy changes respect the dignity of all individuals not deny the equal protection of our great nation’s laws to individuals who are transgender or who have a non-binary gender identity.”
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PROPOSES NEW TITLE IX RULES
The Education Department today proposed revised Title IX rules governing how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. The department has opened a 60-day public comment period. AAU will submit its own set of comments on issues of importance to the research university community.
AAU SUBMITS NOMINATIONS FOR ACCREDITATION AND
INNOVATION RULEMAKING COMMITTEE
President Mary Sue Coleman on Tuesday wrote to Education Secretary DeVos to ask she consider inviting the following individuals to serve on the department’s Accreditation and Innovation negotiated rulemaking committee: Dr. Wayne Jacobson of the University of Iowa, Dr. Janet Schreck and Dr. Stephen Gange of Johns Hopkins University, and Ms. Lichinia Beltré of Columbia University.
The department announced the committee in October. The group will be broken into topic-based subcommittees covering accreditation, distance learning and educational innovation, TEACH grants, and participation by faith-based educational entities. Final regulations are expected July 1, 2020.
ASSOCIATIONS EXPRESS CONCERNS WITH VETERANS’ EDUCATION BILL IMPLEMENTATION
AAU and 11 other higher education organizations wrote to House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee leaders regarding the implementation of section 107 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act. To address current implementation delays, the letter makes several recommendations including allowing institutions to delay certifying veterans for the spring term until after the new system goes into effect and posting all communications related to benefit processing in an easy-to-find location on the GI bill website.
2018 OPEN DOORS REPORT FINDS ENROLLMENT OF NEW FOREIGN STUDENTS DOWN
The Institute of International Education annual Open Doors report released earlier this week found that new international student enrollment dropped nearly 7 percent in Fall 2017, reflecting a nearly 10 percent drop since the 2015-16 school year. While overall enrollment is down, the total number of international students actually grew by 1.5 percent because of previously strong enrollment prior to 2016, and because graduates can work in the U.S. for up to three years under the Optional Practical Training program. Report authors say the decline is likely due to multiple factors including intensifying competition from universities in other countries, delays in visa processing, and the rising cost of college in the U.S.
CONGRESSIONAL PANEL ON BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS
PROCESS REFORM RELEASES RECOMMENDATIONS
After releasing a final report and legislative text this week, leaders of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform announced the delay of further debate on the panel’s recommendations until after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Following months of public and closed-door meetings, the 16-member bicameral and bipartisan panel has agreed to recommend switching to two-year budget resolutions to “allow for more certainty in the budget process, particularly for Executive Branch entities.” Under the proposed biannual budget resolution, Congress would have the authority in the second year to adjust the spending and revenue levels, allocations, and other amounts to reflect an updated baseline. Among other proposals, the panel also recommends: a new May 1statutory deadline for budget resolution adoption; a supplemental budget submission by the President containing prior and current year fiscal data, as well as credit re-estimates; and use of best practices in the appropriations process.
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ICYMI: AAU’s Executive Vice President Matt Owens participated in a CQ Budget podcast to talk about the committee’s efforts and the Convergence Building a Better Budget Process Reform Project. |