FY 22 APPROPRIATIONS NEWS
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Applied Research Gets Starring Role in Biden’s 2022 Budget
Last week, President Joe Biden unveiled a proposed 2022 budget for the U.S. government that would boost federal spending on R&D by 9%, or $13.5 billion, including what he calls “the biggest increase in non-defense [R&D] spending on record.” The plan puts an unprecedented emphasis on translating scientific discoveries into practical tools for fighting climate change and disease, bolstering the economy, and tackling other issues. It asks Congress to boost spending on a wide swath of nondefense science . . . with increases of 20% or more for research programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other agencies. It also includes a 30% boost for clean energy R&D. At the same time, Biden wants an 11% cut in basic research spending by the military, which is a key funder of academic research in math, computer science, and engineering. The overall R&D request of $171 billion would give applied research a greater increase than basic, curiosity-driven research. ( Science Magazine - June 1, 2021)
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As Plan for New U.S. Health Agency to Speed Treatments Takes Shape, Doubts Remain
Those closely following President Joe Biden’s plan to create a huge agency to fund cutting-edge, transformative health projects welcomed the release this week of new details about the ambitious proposal. But for some research advocates, worries remain that the new agency won’t be significantly different from the rest of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where it would be housed. First proposed by Biden early this year, [Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)] would be modeled after the similarly named Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) . . . . Some proponents of ARPA-H have argued it should be a stand-alone agency within the Department of Health and Human Services because it would be so different from NIH . . . . Last month, however, Biden released a budget outline that proposed placing ARPA-H—which he wants to launch with a budget of $6.5 billion—squarely within NIH. That plan raised doubts that, if Congress approves ARPA-H, it would be able to operate as originally envisioned. ( Science Magazine - May 29, 2021)
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U.S. Plows Cash Into R&D as China Triggers a ‘Sputnik Moment’
Faced with a high-tech challenge from a rival superpower, the U.S. government reaches for its wallet. That’s what happened some 60 years ago, after the Soviet Union edged ahead in the space race by launching the Sputnik satellite—spurring a wave of U.S. spending on science and innovation. Something similar may be under way now, when the challenge comes from China. Federal money for research and development, as a share of the economy, has been at historically low levels. But President Joe Biden has made support for innovation a key part of his program, calling for increased funding to key industries like semiconductor manufacturing, cybersecurity and electric vehicles. And Congress is moving toward a wide-ranging plan, with backing in both parties, that could inject about $190 billion into new and existing programs, though some of that replaces current funding. It targets areas like artificial intelligence where China is committed to becoming a world leader—through the kind of focused, government-led program that the U.S. is now moving to emulate. ( Bloomberg - June 3, 2021)
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Colleges Beg Biden to Save International Student Enrollment
A steadily growing pipeline of cash for U.S. colleges and universities from international students was abruptly cut off with the pandemic. Now higher education institutions are looking to the White House to shore up a besieged visa process to bring those lucrative students back. Students from abroad often pay the full sticker price on tuition and fees, making them desirable to admit. But when the pandemic closed borders, canceled flights and shuttered buildings, that cash flow halted. Education groups are looking at President Joe Biden to restore it. American colleges and universities lost billions of dollars when the pandemic scattered their students and turned off new applicants. Now, their fall semesters are still uncertain as they don’t know yet how much international student enrollment they can get amid a Covid-rattled U.S. bureaucracy. ( Politico - May 29, 2021)
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AAU Joins CUPA-HR Comment Letter to DOL on Wage Levels for Immigrant Workers
AAU joined the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources and other higher education associations on a comment letter to the Department of Labor. The letter came in response to a department request for information on a rule, published near the end of the previous administration, on determining prevailing wages for certain immigrants and other workers. This includes individuals on H-1B visas. “Unfortunately, DOL’s January 2021 Final Rule, Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States (Final Rule), made changes to the computation of wage levels in a manner that will negatively impact the numerous immigrant and nonimmigrant employees on campus,” the letter says. CUPA-HR, which annually collects wage data on the higher education workforce, outlines in the letter what data sources the department could consider if they plan to make changes to how they compute prevailing wage levels in higher education. ( Association of American Universities - June 2, 2021)
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White House Announces “COVID-19 College Challenge” as Part of Efforts to Get More Americans Vaccinated
The White House announced the “ COVID-19 College Challenge” earlier today as part of a broader effort to get 70 percent of adult Americans vaccinated by Independence Day. The White House is asking colleges and universities to join the challenge and commit to taking three key actions to increase vaccine distribution among their students and communities: Ensure every student, faculty, and staff member knows they are vaccine-eligible and has the ability to find a vaccine distribution site; Organize their campus communities by identifying vaccine advocates on campus and creating a plan to get as many campus community members vaccinated as possible; Deliver vaccine access for all campus community members by making it as easy as possible to obtain vaccine shots on or near campus. The monthlong challenge officially begins Friday, June 4, and lasts until Independence Day. Throughout the month, higher education institutions, national organizations, local government leaders, religious and other community organizations, businesses, employers, social media influencers, celebrities, athletes, young people, and thousands of volunteers across the nation will mobilize to increase vaccine access and distribution. ( Association of American Universities - June 2, 2021)
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Education Department Ends Recognition of ACICS
The Department of Education terminated federal recognition of the controversial Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools Wednesday, stripping it of its powers to accredit colleges and universities. The decision comes after several recommendations made this year to withdraw recognition -- first in January by department staff and then in March by the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. The department said ACICS breached compliance of federal recognition criteria by failing to properly oversee institutions and having inadequate administrative capability. This is the second time the agency has lost its federal recognition in the last five years, with the Obama administration pulling recognition of ACICS in December 2016. The Trump administration then restored recognition of ACICS in 2018, largely due to the administration's focus on deregulation and support of for-profit institutions. ( Inside Higher Ed - June 3, 2021)
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