House Committee Passes Higher Ed Bill
BU IN DC
Kate Mellouk of Research Compliance, Dolores Markey and Renna Lilly of Sponsored Programs, and Gretchen Hartigan of Post Award Financial Operations attended the fall meeting of the Council on Governmental Relations on October 24 and 25.
Mayank Varia of the College of Arts & Sciences met with Congressional and National Science Foundation staff between October 28 and 30.
HOUSE COMMITTEE PASSES HIGHER ED BILL
On Thursday, the House Education and Labor Committee passed the College Affordability Act (H.R. 4674) with unanimous Democratic support and Republican opposition. The bill would reauthorize the Higher Education Act, allow low-income students to use Pell Grant funding for graduate education, expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and reinstate federal subsidized graduate student loans. Despite the infusion of student aid funding, colleges expressed concerns about aspects of the bill that would increase federal regulation of accreditation, student safety, and other matters. The full U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on the bill later this fall, but the U.S. Senate is unlikely to consider it.
BUZZ BITS…
- The Senate passed a spending bill (H.R. 3055) yesterday that would increase funding for the National Science Foundation, research activities at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities in fiscal year 2020. Although the House has passed similar spending bills, the chambers are unlikely to reach agreement on a final budget until later this year or early in 2020.
- Last week, BU responded to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for input on how to advance the U.S. bioeconomy. The University’s letter highlighted the fields of synthetic biology, infectious disease, and neurotechnology.
- Sandra Cauffman, acting director for NASA’s Earth Science Division, will meet with BU faculty on campus today. The Office of Research is hosting her visit.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Interested in learning more about op-ed writing and how to pitch media? Join the Office of Research and Public Relations for an engaging and informative workshop led by editors at The Conversation, an influential media outlet that publishes content exclusively from academics and researchers. Whether you are brand new to op-ed writing or looking for a refresher, this workshop is uniquely geared towards helping faculty, researchers and scientists of all disciplines write about their work in a way that can inform public debate and shape scientific, cultural, and intellectual agendas. The event will take place on November 6 from 3 to 5 pm at the Hillel House.