Dept. of Education; China Committee; Biology of Aging
BU IN DC
School of Public Health (SPH) Dean ad interim Michael Stein hosted an alumni reception on March 20th. A team of SPH faculty, staff, and students attended the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s annual meeting from March 19th to 21st.
Arielle Derival-Joseph of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development participated in the Council for Opportunity in Education Policy Seminar 2025 between March 16th and 19th.
Stephen Murray of the School of Public Health spoke on a panel about “Developing a Better System of Care for Nonfatal Overdose” at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in DC on March 17th.
A team of 19 faculty, staff, and students from the Wheelock Education Policy Center presented over 15 papers, chaired five presentations, and led a policy dialogue at the Association for Education Finance Policy Conference from March 13th to 15th.
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
On Thursday, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order that directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to reduce the functions of the Department of Education (ED) “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law” while upholding the “uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits.” The “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” directive also instructs ED to ensure that entities receiving Department funds not engage in “illegal discrimination.” While a fact sheet accompanying the order refers to the President’s campaign promise to close the Department, a White House spokesperson acknowledged that only Congress has the authority to eliminate ED.
BUZZ BITS…
- On Wednesday, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party sent letters to six universities requesting information about Chinese students in advanced STEM programs and their involvement with federally funded research. The letter was sent to Carnegie Mellon University, Purdue University, Stanford University, the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, and the University of Southern California.
- On Friday, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order which aims to close several federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), United States Agency for Global Media, and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The order directs the elimination of the agencies “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
- Last week, the Department of Education announced new Title VI investigations into more than 50 universities over allegations of “race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs” and “impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation.”
EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE
How does aging work at the biological level? What can we do to promote health as we grow older? And what is the latest science on extending human vitality? The Office of Research and Professors Ana Fiszbein, Brianne Connizzo, and Thomas Perls will bring together more than a dozen BU scholars to deliver micro-talks on their research on slowing, reversing, and preventing age-related disease. Refreshments and conversation will follow the presentations, allowing the BU community to meet potential research collaborators whose work ranges from molecular studies to large-scale projects like the New England Centenarian Study.