Higher Ed Groups Ask Biden's ED to Give Aid to Undocumented Students
Dozens of higher education groups, including associations representing the nation’s colleges and universities, urged the Education Department on Thursday to clarify that undocumented and international students are eligible for emergency student grants created in the COVID relief package Congress approved in December. The Education Department came under fire last year when it denied the two groups of students access to emergency student grants in the CARES Act, saying they were ineligible for the help because they cannot get federal student aid under the Higher Education Act. The Education Department under the Biden administration has not responded to repeated requests for comment about its position on letting the students get help. ( Inside Higher Ed - Jan. 29, 2021)
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Parting Trump Memo on U.S. Research Security Seen as Road Map for Biden
A memo by outgoing President Donald Trump on how to prevent China and other U.S. adversaries from gaining improper access to research funded by the federal government is getting surprisingly positive reviews from research advocates. Issued on 14 January, National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM)-33 offers a list of directives to federal agencies, universities, and individual scientists on how protect national security without abandoning the hallmark openness of U.S. science. Officially, the memo is now just another archived document from a former president. But university officials say they wouldn’t mind seeing President Joe Biden draw from its recommendations in crafting his administration’s broader approach to dealing with China. ( Science Magazine - Jan. 28, 2021)
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TFAI Urges Biden Administration to Prioritize Investments in the US Scientific Enterprise
The Task Force on American Innovation, of which AAU is a member, yesterday sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking his administration to prioritize support for the U.S. scientific research enterprise, an essential step toward our nation’s economic recovery and a critical component of our global competitiveness and prosperity. According to the Task Force, prioritizing investments in research – particularly through NSF, the Department of Energy Office of Science, Defense Basic Research, NASA, and the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology – would help spur economic growth and ensure America’s continued scientific leadership on the world stage. ( Association of American Universities - Jan. 27, 2021)
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Biden Appointee Provokes Mixed Feelings
When the Biden administration appointed Suzanne Goldberg, a Columbia University law professor and top university administrator, to oversee civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education last week, some civil rights advocates believed it signaled a new era of federal protections for LGBTQ students and a revival of policies requiring colleges to respond to and prevent sexual assaults on campus. The expectations have gotten complicated. Goldberg's appointment as acting assistant secretary for the Office for Civil Rights, the agency that oversees implementation of Title IX, the law prohibiting sex discrimination at federally funded institutions, has some former Columbia students and survivors of sexual assault revisiting her tumultuous history as executive vice president of university life, a job she held from 2015 until last week. The former students say they were not well-served by Goldberg; they're now questioning her fitness for the government role. ( Inside Higher Ed - Jan. 29, 2021)
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Despite Travel Ban Repeal, Trump Orders Still Keep Immigrants Out
President Joe Biden is expected to issue more executive orders next week to chip away at the prior administration's immigration agenda . . . . Last week, he kicked off his presidency by signing a series immigration orders, including one repealing former President Donald Trump's travel ban against Muslim-majority nations. But some immigration advocates are calling on Biden to now rescind two more Trump proclamations that . . . bar certain foreigners from moving to the U.S. on new green cards and work visas, with the purported aim to free up jobs for Americans who found themselves unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic. Like the so-called Muslim ban, Biden could easily lift the additional visa bans unilaterally. But more than a week into his presidency, he has yet to announce such plans. ( Roll Call - Jan. 28, 2021)
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C4AD Calls on Biden Administration to Act Quickly to Protect DACA Recipients
AAU joined the Coalition for the American Dream, a coalition of more than 100 top businesses and trade associations, on Monday to send a letter to President Joe Biden thanking his administration for taking immediate executive action to protect DACA recipients and committing to provide permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. “Given the years-long uncertainty these young men and women, as well as their employers, have faced and the ongoing litigation seeking to end DACA protections, it is our hope that this goal can be met in the first 100 days of your Administration,” the organizations say. ( Association of American Universities - Jan. 27, 2021)
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GOP Senator Stocks Office with 13 Former Trump Staffers
As Trump administration alums face a tough job market after the Capitol riot, one new Republican Senate office has turned into a full-employment factory for Trump officials looking for their next gig. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) announced on Thursday that he’s hired 13 former Trump administration officials to work in his office. Judd Deere, the former deputy White House press secretary . . . will be Hagerty’s deputy chief of staff for communications, . . . [and] John Rader, a native of Cookeville, Tenn., will be Hagerty’s chief of staff and was most recently deputy assistant to the president for strategic initiatives at the White House and also previously served on the National Security Council, working on policy and strategy. Hagerty also looked to former Trump officials to fill out his policy team . . . . ( Politico - Jan. 28, 2021)
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