Title IX; First Gen Students; DARPA BTO
BU IN DC
President ad interim Kenneth Freeman attended the Association of American Universities spring meeting between April 14th and 16th.
Kevin Gallagher, Rishikesh Ram Bhandary, Marina Zucker-Marques,Tim Hirschel-Burns, and Maureen Heydt of the Global Development Policy Center participated in several panel discussions during the 2024 International Monetary Fund/World Bank Group Spring Meetings on April 18th and 19th.
Graduate students Kelley Anderson, Cheyanne Frosti, and Akemi Ito attended the American Association for the Advancement of Science Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering workshop and discussed science policy with Congressional offices between April 14th and 17th.
Mary Churchill of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development delivered a keynote address at the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges Annual Conference on April 11th.
ADMINISTRATION RELEASES FINAL TITLE IX RULES
The Biden Administration issued new Title IX regulations last week, updating the federal rules which govern gender equity in educational settings. As expected, the final rules expand the scope of Title IX protections to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy status. The regulations also give schools more flexibility in how they adjudicate sexual misconduct cases, reversing changes instituted by the Trump Administration in 2020. The new policies will take effect in August 2024.
WHEELOCK HOSTS POLICY EVENT
BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development hosted “Class Dismissed: When Colleges Ignore Inequality and Students Pay the Price,” an evening devoted to conversations around higher education success for first-generation students, at the Library of Congress last week. Anthony Jack, associate professor of higher education leadership and inaugural faculty director at the Newbury Center, delivered the keynote speech to an audience of policymakers and BU alumni. Following the keynote, Wheelock Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives & Community Engagement Mary Churchill moderated a panel discussion that included Dr. Kortne Edogun-Ticey, deputy director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans, and Dr. Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president at The Education Trust.
BUZZ BITS…
- BU alumnus Dr. Michael Koeris is the new director of the Biological Technologies Offices at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Koeris previously served on the faculty of the Keck Graduate Institute and in leadership roles at several life sciences startup companies. He earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering from BU.
- The Air Force Research Laboratory recently announced that Dr. Kevin Geiss is the new leader of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). AFOSR is the basic research arm of the Air Force. Geiss assumed the role in March 2024.
- Republicans on the House Education and the Workforce Committee criticized Columbia University’s approach to addressing antisemitism during a hearing last week featuring the University’s president and the co-chairs of its board. The Committee is planning a May hearing to discuss antisemitism in elementary and secondary schools next.