NSF Director; Accreditation; DOE F&A Caps
BU IN DC
Indara Suarez of the College of Arts & Sciences met with Congressional offices to discuss the importance of investing in physics research as part of the U.S. Large Hadron Collider Users Association (USLUA) visit to Capitol Hill on April 24th.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION DIRECTOR RESIGNS
National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan announced yesterday that he is stepping down as leader of the agency, 16 months before the end of his six-year term. Panch joined the agency in 2020 after being appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2019. His decision comes on the heels of the Trump Administration dissolving the agency’s advisory committees and announcing the termination of NSF grants that do not align with the Administration’s priorities. NSF did not announce an interim leader.
TRUMP ISSUES HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE ORDERS
On Wednesday, President Donald J. Trump issued several executive orders pertaining to higher education. They include:
- The “Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education” order directs the Secretary of Education to monitor accrediting agencies for compliance with civil rights laws, urges the Secretary to recognize new accreditors, and criticizes law and medical school accreditors for prioiritizing diversity.
- The “Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities” order directs the Secretary to require colleges to disclose more specific information about foreign gifts and to make the information public.
The Department of Education will decide how to implement each order, including the specific steps required.
JUDGE BLOCKS DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY RESEARCH CUTS
Last week, a district court judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Department of Energy from moving forward with its planned 15% cap on reimbursements for facilities & administrative (F&A) costs for university grantees. A coalition of universities sued to stop the Trump Administration’s April 11th action, which would apply to both current and future college and university grants. The Administration had previously proposed a similar cap on F&A reimbursement for National Institutes of Health grants; that cap is on hold due to a permanent nationwide injunction.