Congress Inches Away From Government Shutdown
BU IN DC
President Robert A. Brown attended a meeting of the American Council on Education board, of which he is a member, on September 21 and 22.
School of Education Dean Hardin Coleman attended the fall policy meeting of the American Educational Research Association’s Organization of Institutional Affairs, which he chairs, and met with Congressional staff on September 20 and 21.
School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea attended the September 10th meeting of the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities, of which he is a member.
David Coleman, Jeffrey Samet, and Alexander Walley of the School of Medicine attended a White House Office of National Drug Control Policy symposium on addiction on September 18.
Christine McGuire of Enrollment and Student Affairs participated in a Higher Education Loan Coalition meeting and met with Congressional staff between September 20 and 22.
CONGRESS INCHES AWAY FROM GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
As the October 1st start of the 2016 fiscal year approaches, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on a bill that would keep the federal government operating at current funding levels until December 11. The measure would give Congress more time to complete work on the annual federal budget, or possibly agree to a larger budget deal that would lift current spending caps. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are divided on the Senate measure, so its path forward remains unclear. BU Federal Relations will continue to advocate for a resolution that supports research and students.
NAS RELEASES REGULATORY REFORM REPORT
On Tuesday, a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) committee released “Optimizing the Nation’s Investment in Academic Research: A New Regulatory Framework for the 21st Century,” a report finding that the increasing number of regulatory requirements placed on grantees greatly reduces the federal government’s return on investment. The report recommends: establishing a university-financed advisory board modeled on the Financial Accounting Standards Board to strengthen government-university partnerships; implementing stronger professionalism standards and sanctions for researchers’ ethical violations; and prioritizing government-wide coordination of research regulations. A second report next year will address export controls and dual-use research of concern. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has pledged to include some of the report’s recommendations in a forthcoming biomedical research bill.
EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE
BU Research has announced the fall semester’s workshops to help faculty learn more about federal research agency priorities and opportunities. Speakers from Washington, D.C., will discuss applying for early career opportunities at the National Science Foundation, integrating broader impacts criteria into grant applications, navigating health research programs at the Department of Defense, and working with the United States Agency for International Development. A new “Research on Tap” series will allow BU researchers to meet potential collaborators in a variety of fields, including photonics, urban health, and infectious disease.