University of Michigan under federal scrutiny after arrest of Chinese scientists

USA Today

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Probe comes after three Chinese citizens tied to the University of Michigan were accused of smuggling biological hazards into the U.S.
DETROIT — The Trump administration is investigating potential foreign influence at the University of Michigan, claiming the school was indifferent to national security concerns raised by the FBI.
In a letter sent to the university on July 15, the U.S. Department of Education gave the university 30 days to turn over more than five years' worth of records related to foreign donations, foreign research collaboration, international students and their visas, as well as the names and contact information of school personnel who supervise all those things.
The letter said the university received $375 million in foreign funding since 2020 and has been late in reporting about $86 million of that amount. The letter also notes that the school spends more than $2 billion on research each year, and about half of that comes from the federal government.
"Additionally, many of UM's disclosure reports appear to include transactions in which the counterparty was erroneously identified by UM as nongovernmental," Paul Moore, chief investigative counsel for the Department of Education, wrote in the letter.
Universities must file semiannual reports with the department detailing their foreign contacts and funding. The letter said a review of the university's filings "reveals that incomplete, inaccurate, and untimely disclosures may have been submitted by UM, in possible violation of its foreign source funding statutory disclosure obligations."
University spokeswoman Colleen Mastony said in a statement that the school is committed to advancing knowledge and serving the people of Michigan and the world.
"The University of Michigan takes its responsibility to comply with the law extremely seriously, and we will cooperate fully with federal investigators," she said. "We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission."
The investigation is the latest battle between the Trump administration and the school over things like antisemitism on campus, its use of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the overhead costs it charges on federal research grants.
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Department of Education cites recent cases involving Chinese scientists
Universities with ties to China have also been under federal scrutiny as the administration has become increasingly concerned that China is potentially using open and federally funded research environments in the United States to circumvent export controls and other national security laws, according to Reuters. In May, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the United States will not tolerate "exploitation" of universities by the Chinese Communist Party or theft of U.S. research and intellectual property.
The Department of Education's investigation comes after three Chinese citizens were recently charged with attempting to smuggle dangerous biological materials into the United States for use at the University of Michigan labs.
In June, federal authorities accused two Chinese scientists of smuggling into the United States a "dangerous" fungus that causes a disease in crops so that one of them could research the pathogen at a university laboratory. Days later, another Chinese scientist was charged with allegedly bringing biological materials related to roundworms for research at the university.
"Despite the University of Michigan's history of downplaying its vulnerabilities to malign foreign influence, recent reports reveal that UM's research laboratories remain vulnerable to sabotage," Moore said in a separate statement.
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The Department of Education's letter also noted that the university in January closed a joint research institute it ran with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, after U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Republican from Caledonia, highlighted ties that the school had to the Chinese military.
"UM continues to engage in substantial research collaborations with Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, and Zhejiang University — all universities deeply involved in China's emerging science and technology research efforts directly linked to military programs," the letter said.
According to the letter, Ann Chih Lin, director of the University of Michigan's Center for Chinese Studies, met with the director of the FBI in December 2022 and accused the bureau of overstating the threat of technology transfer to China in academic settings.
"Lin's assertions appear to be ill-conceived," Moore wrote in the letter. "Lin's apparent indifference to the national security concerns of the largest single source of funding for UM's annual research expenditures — the American taxpayer — is particularly unsettling."
Contributing: Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press; Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Reuters