Latest news with #Spreitzer
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Trump administration threat to end Harvard contracts puts research at risk
May 30 (UPI) -- The Trump administration is seeking to end all contracts it has with Harvard University, a move that adds to the strain between the federal government and America's researchers. The administration announced on Tuesday that it is in the process of reviewing its contracts with Harvard in preparation for their termination. The move may cost the United States a generation of top researchers, Sarah Spreitzer, vice president and chief of staff in the American Council of Education's government relations department, told UPI. "We're going to lose grad students or post-docs that might have been educated in those federally funded labs," Spreitzer said. "The undergrads are going to lose the opportunity of working alongside those researchers and learning from their work." Harvard has contracts partnering with government departments including NASA, Veterans Affairs, the Office of the Secretary in the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration. Dozens of these contracts have been entered into, extended or otherwise updated since President Donald Trump took office. Harvard University did not respond to requests for comment from UPI. One of the largest contracts Harvard holds with the government is a $15 million contract from the Department of Health and Human Services. It is described in the Federal Procurement Data System as a "task order for human organ chip enabled development of radiation countermeasures." It was entered into on July 26. Another of its largest contracts is a $10.6 million contract with the National Institutes of Health for tuberculosis research. Harvard holds more than one contract with the government related to this work. "They want to do more with less," Spreitzer said of the Trump administration. "They're making decisions based on budgetary impacts but that's layered on top of some of the regulatory actions that they are taking, which is really, again, slowing down or completely stalling the scientific process." The Trump administration has cut research funding grants to several universities, many of them Ivy League schools. It has also made cuts to programs in the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among others that offer grant opportunities to universities. Since World War II, the U.S. government has leaned on universities to expand its research capabilities, leading to innovations in health, technology, economics and other disciplines. Spreitzer, who has been an advocate for higher education for 20 years. In that time she said she has interacted with nearly every federal agency, said the partnership has advanced the interests of the government and delivered value to U.S. taxpayers. "Right now we are at this historical inflection point where the federal government is rethinking their partnership with our institutions of higher education," she said. "It's been a very profitable and very important partnership that's helped the entire United States. Whether you're talking about new drugs or medical research or the innovative products that might be spun out and have created jobs." The rethinking of the partnership between the government and universities goes beyond contracts and grants. It is also proposing a lower cap on its reimbursement to universities for indirect costs or facilities and administrative costs. These are overhead expenses that an institution has that are not related to specific projects, such as government-funded research. Prior to the current Trump administration, the National Institutes of Health reimbursed an average of 27% to 28% of direct costs to universities to help cover indirect costs. These rates were negotiated with some institutions being reimbursed at rates more than 50%. There has not been a cap on most reimbursements since Congress removed them in 1965. In February, the National Institutes of Health announced a new policy to cap these reimbursements at 15%. The American Council on Education filed a lawsuit seeking to block the proposed cap, warning that it would greatly disrupt research across the country. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs granted a preliminary injunction against the Department of Energy from instituting a rate cap policy. The injunction succeeds a temporary restraining order Burroughs granted against the administration, shielding all institutions of higher education from rate caps. "It would have a huge impact on our institutions," Spreitzer said. "They've also made huge cuts in some of the fellowship programs. Whether it's the fellowship program for the next generation of NSF scientists or whether it's the Fulbright program -- those have all been suddenly stopped." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration threat to end Harvard contracts puts research at risk
May 30 (UPI) -- The Trump administration is seeking to end all contracts it has with Harvard University, a move that adds to the strain between the federal government and America's researchers. The administration announced on Tuesday that it is in the process of reviewing its contracts with Harvard in preparation for their termination. The move may cost the United States a generation of top researchers, Sarah Spreitzer, vice president and chief of staff in the American Council of Education's government relations department, told UPI. "We're going to lose grad students or post-docs that might have been educated in those federally funded labs," Spreitzer said. "The undergrads are going to lose the opportunity of working alongside those researchers and learning from their work." Harvard has contracts partnering with government departments including NASA, Veterans Affairs, the Office of the Secretary in the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration. Dozens of these contracts have been entered into, extended or otherwise updated since President Donald Trump took office. Harvard University did not respond to requests for comment from UPI. One of the largest contracts Harvard holds with the government is a $15 million contract from the Department of Health and Human Services. It is described in the Federal Procurement Data System as a "task order for human organ chip enabled development of radiation countermeasures." It was entered into on July 26. Another of its largest contracts is a $10.6 million contract with the National Institutes of Health for tuberculosis research. Harvard holds more than one contract with the government related to this work. "They want to do more with less," Spreitzer said of the Trump administration. "They're making decisions based on budgetary impacts but that's layered on top of some of the regulatory actions that they are taking, which is really, again, slowing down or completely stalling the scientific process." The Trump administration has cut research funding grants to several universities, many of them Ivy League schools. It has also made cuts to programs in the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among others that offer grant opportunities to universities. Since World War II, the U.S. government has leaned on universities to expand its research capabilities, leading to innovations in health, technology, economics and other disciplines. Spreitzer, who has been an advocate for higher education for 20 years. In that time she said she has interacted with nearly every federal agency, said the partnership has advanced the interests of the government and delivered value to U.S. taxpayers. "Right now we are at this historical inflection point where the federal government is rethinking their partnership with our institutions of higher education," she said. "It's been a very profitable and very important partnership that's helped the entire United States. Whether you're talking about new drugs or medical research or the innovative products that might be spun out and have created jobs." The rethinking of the partnership between the government and universities goes beyond contracts and grants. It is also proposing a lower cap on its reimbursement to universities for indirect costs or facilities and administrative costs. These are overhead expenses that an institution has that are not related to specific projects, such as government-funded research. Prior to the current Trump administration, the National Institutes of Health reimbursed an average of 27% to 28% of direct costs to universities to help cover indirect costs. These rates were negotiated with some institutions being reimbursed at rates more than 50%. There has not been a cap on most reimbursements since Congress removed them in 1965. In February, the National Institutes of Health announced a new policy to cap these reimbursements at 15%. The American Council on Education filed a lawsuit seeking to block the proposed cap, warning that it would greatly disrupt research across the country. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs granted a preliminary injunction against the Department of Energy from instituting a rate cap policy. The injunction succeeds a temporary restraining order Burroughs granted against the administration, shielding all institutions of higher education from rate caps. "It would have a huge impact on our institutions," Spreitzer said. "They've also made huge cuts in some of the fellowship programs. Whether it's the fellowship program for the next generation of NSF scientists or whether it's the Fulbright program -- those have all been suddenly stopped."
UPI
3 days ago
- Health
- UPI
Trump administration threat to end Harvard contracts puts research at risk
1 of 2 | The Trump administration is seeking to end all contracts it has with Harvard University, a move that adds to the strain between the federal government and America's researchers. Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA-EFE May 30 (UPI) -- The Trump administration is seeking to end all contracts it has with Harvard University, a move that adds to the strain between the federal government and America's researchers. The administration announced on Tuesday that it is in the process of reviewing its contracts with Harvard in preparation for their termination. The move may cost the United States a generation of top researchers, Sarah Spreitzer, vice president and chief of staff in the American Council of Education's government relations department, told UPI. "We're going to lose grad students or post-docs that might have been educated in those federally funded labs," Spreitzer said. "The undergrads are going to lose the opportunity of working alongside those researchers and learning from their work." Harvard has contracts partnering with government departments including NASA, Veterans Affairs, the Office of the Secretary in the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration. Dozens of these contracts have been entered into, extended or otherwise updated since President Donald Trump took office. Harvard University did not respond to requests for comment from UPI. One of the largest contracts Harvard holds with the government is a $15 million contract from the Department of Health and Human Services. It is described in the Federal Procurement Data System as a "task order for human organ chip enabled development of radiation countermeasures." It was entered into on July 26. Another of its largest contracts is a $10.6 million contract with the National Institutes of Health for tuberculosis research. Harvard holds more than one contract with the government related to this work. "They want to do more with less," Spreitzer said of the Trump administration. "They're making decisions based on budgetary impacts but that's layered on top of some of the regulatory actions that they are taking, which is really, again, slowing down or completely stalling the scientific process." The Trump administration has cut research funding grants to several universities, many of them Ivy League schools. It has also made cuts to programs in the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among others that offer grant opportunities to universities. Since World War II, the U.S. government has leaned on universities to expand its research capabilities, leading to innovations in health, technology, economics and other disciplines. Spreitzer, who has been an advocate for higher education for 20 years. In that time she said she has interacted with nearly every federal agency, said the partnership has advanced the interests of the government and delivered value to U.S. taxpayers. "Right now we are at this historical inflection point where the federal government is rethinking their partnership with our institutions of higher education," she said. "It's been a very profitable and very important partnership that's helped the entire United States. Whether you're talking about new drugs or medical research or the innovative products that might be spun out and have created jobs." The rethinking of the partnership between the government and universities goes beyond contracts and grants. It is also proposing a lower cap on its reimbursement to universities for indirect costs or facilities and administrative costs. These are overhead expenses that an institution has that are not related to specific projects, such as government-funded research. Prior to the current Trump administration, the National Institutes of Health reimbursed an average of 27% to 28% of direct costs to universities to help cover indirect costs. These rates were negotiated with some institutions being reimbursed at rates more than 50%. There has not been a cap on most reimbursements since Congress removed them in 1965. In February, the National Institutes of Health announced a new policy to cap these reimbursements at 15%. The American Council on Education filed a lawsuit seeking to block the proposed cap, warning that it would greatly disrupt research across the country. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs granted a preliminary injunction against the Department of Energy from instituting a rate cap policy. The injunction succeeds a temporary restraining order Burroughs granted against the administration, shielding all institutions of higher education from rate caps. "It would have a huge impact on our institutions," Spreitzer said. "They've also made huge cuts in some of the fellowship programs. Whether it's the fellowship program for the next generation of NSF scientists or whether it's the Fulbright program -- those have all been suddenly stopped."
Boston Globe
24-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump's higher ed crackdown could deter international student enrollment. These New England schools could be hit hard.
'When a student is thinking about making an investment in their education, and they're looking at which English-speaking country they may be going to, it's going to be harder for the United States to stay competitive,' said Sarah Spreitzer, vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education. In New England, any decrease in enrollment could be a significant hit. Nearly a dozen schools in the region count more than 1,000 international students each, and at some universities, international students are a significant presence on campus. At Northeastern University, international students made up 38 percent of the school population in Fall 2024, according to Advertisement Other institutions have international cohorts numbering in the low hundreds — but for small colleges, that's often still enough to make up a sizable percentage of the student body. Overall in 2023-24, international students contributed $43.8 billion to the US economy, in tuition and fees as well as living expenses, according to the NAFSA Association of International Educators. Given Boston's reputation as a bastion of higher education, it's no surprise that a big slice of the economic impact — $3.9 billion, according to NAFSA — is of international students, behind California, New York, and Texas, supporting thousands of jobs in retail, dining, and other sectors. 'They're renting apartments, they're buying cars, they're purchasing goods and services in the communities where their institution of higher education is located,' said Spreitzer. 'So it's a huge economic advantage for the United States to welcome these international students.' Advertisement But recent moves by the Trump administration have put current and prospective international students on edge. Earlier this month, immigration officials arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student and legal permanent resident, Last week, Brown warned international students, including permanent residents, to Related : That means the U.S. may lose interested students to other countries such as Canada and Australia, which have seen their international enrollments surge in recent years. Spreitzer said those countries offer something that the United States, at the moment, does not: the certainty that 'once you're in,' immigration authorities won't suddenly 'change the terms' of entrance to the country, in law or in practice. That's especially an issue considering that international students often pay 'full freight' tuition and fees — effectively helping pay for domestic students on scholarships and financial aid. For small colleges that Here are some the colleges and universities in New England with the largest populations of international students, according to online data published by the schools. Advertisement Harvard University, Cambridge International students overall (undergraduate and graduate): 6,631 (27 percent of total student population) as of Fall 2023 International graduate/professional students: 5,645 (32 percent) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge International students overall (undergraduate and graduate): 3,455 (29 percent) as of Fall 2024 International graduate/professional students: 2,926 (40 percent) Northeastern University, Boston International students overall: 18,508 (38 percent) as of Fall 2024 International graduate/professional students: 15,285 (64 percent) Boston University, Boston International students overall: 10,740 (29 percent) as of Fall 2023 International graduate/professional students: 6,441 (36 percent) Tufts University, Medford/Somerville International students overall: 1,912 (14 percent) as of Fall 2024 International graduate/professional students: 971 (15 percent) Babson College, Wellesley International students overall: 1,358 (34 percent) as of Fall 2024 International graduate/professional students: 516 (45 percent) Berklee College of Music, Boston International students overall: 2,101 (39 percent) Boston College, Chestnut Hill International students overall: 1,873 (12 percent) as of Fall 2023 International graduate/professional students: 938 (18 percent) Brandeis University, Waltham International students overall: 1,280 (25 percent) as of Fall 2024 International graduate/professional students: 580 (37 percent) Brown University, Providence, R.I. International students overall: 2,470 (21 percent) International graduate, non-medical students: 1,397 (41 percent) Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H. International students overall: 1,470 (21 percent) as of Fall 2024 International graduate/professional students: 762 (32 percent) Emerson College, Boston International students overall: 896 (16 percent) as of Fall 2023 Hult International Business School, Cambridge International students overall: 945 (87 percent) as of Fall 2024 International graduate students: 531 (94 percent) Rhode Island School of Art & Design, Providence, R.I. International students overall: 924 (37 percent) College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine International undergraduate students: 77 (21 percent) as of Fall 2023 Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley International undergraduate students: 428 (20 percent) as of Fall 2024 Suffolk University, Boston International students overall: 948 (14 percent) as of Fall 2023 International graduate, non-law students: 398 (18 percent) Wellesley College, Wellesley International students overall: 316 (13 percent) as of Fall 2024 Yale University, New Haven, Conn. International students overall: 3,564 (24 percent) as of Fall 2023 Advertisement International graduate/professional students: 2,840 (34 percent) University of Massachusetts Amherst International students overall: 1,600+ (approximately 20 percent) International graduate/professional students: 3,800+ (approximately 80 percent) as of Fall 2024 Camilo Fonseca can be reached at
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chaos on campuses as schools warn Trump cuts could harm US ‘for decades'
Students, researchers, faculty and leadership at universities and colleges across the US are grappling with drastic short- and long-term impacts 'for decades to come' caused by funding freezes, cuts and executive orders from the Trump administration. 'It's sowing a lot of chaos on campuses,' said Sarah Spreitzer, vice-president and chief of staff of government relations at the American Council for Education, a non-profit representing more than 1,600 colleges, universities and related associations. 'This is going to have long-term impacts on the American public and post-secondary education that I don't think we can really even start to understand.' Related: Trump threatens to pull federal funds for US schools allowing 'illegal protests' Research grants across the US have been frozen or cut, scholarships funded by the federal government have been halted and the push to reduce the administrative costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding to 15% has institutions trying to figure out how to cover those costs of doing research, Spreitzer explained. Donald Trump's federal congressional budget is also proposing billions of dollars in cuts in federal funding for research and institutions across higher education. Cuts to research tied to foreign aid, such as the US Agency for International Development, have resulted in lab closures. Trump has also threatened to pull federal funding from universities that allow 'illegal' protests. The changes and threats have incited hiring freezes, layoffs and furloughs, cuts in graduate admissions, rescissions of job offers, and institutions scaling back the amount of research they conduct. 'Institutions are scrambling to figure out how they are going to support those students because they're unable to access the federal funding, or are they just going to end the programs,' added Spreitzer. 'Changing the indirect cost rate doesn't suddenly make research cheaper to do. Someone is going to have to bear that cost.' Higher education institutions have already begun scaling back or are bracing for cuts. University of Pennsylvania has cut graduate admissions at its medical schools for fall 2025 by 35%. Graduate students across the US have reported admissions acceptances being rescinded. MIT, Stanford and numerous other institutions have enacted hiring freezes. This week Brown and Johns Hopkins warned of potential layoffs amid threats to federal funding revenues. 'Our admissions have been paused for a number of big grad departments,' said Levin Kim, a graduate worker; chair of Higher Education Labor United, a coalition of labor unions representing more than 200,000 academic workers; and president of UAW Local 4121 representing academic workers at the University of Washington, which is one of the largest public recipients of federal research funding. 'We're seeing a lot of uncertainty. Careers are being curtailed right now. It's not like once things are funded, it can just pick right back up. It's wreaking havoc throughout the whole pipeline.' Kim argued Trump's actions have had a 'big chilling effect' on anything to do with research funding, despite ongoing legal battles to prevent research funding freezes and cuts. 'The attacks on research being carried out right now are attacks on workers as well as American public health infrastructure that will have impacts for decades to come,' said Kim. 'Clinical trials have been paused. Research has been paused on things like Alzheimer's research and cancer, things that effect everyone. There is a government takeover right now to sign away Americans' health in order to line the pockets of a few billionaires.' Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, expressed similar concerns facing faculty at institutions across higher education and the vast impacts it will have on its future, including work that has stopped or is being scaled back in response to Trump's anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. 'Billions of dollars in research has been frozen, and that's research on things that every American depends on,' Wolfson said. 'Members of mine having to lay people off, having to close their labs, having to ask for special circumstances to be able to keep rare supplies, like animals, alive. It's been a complete, utter, destruction of the United States research infrastructure.' Wolfson explained that since the second world war, the federal government has partnered with higher education institutions to develop and maintain global leadership in research and development. 'Institutions are retrenching, and they're going to retrench at pretty quick rates. They're going to lay people off. Tuition is going to skyrocket and they're going to cut back on graduate programs. We're going to train fewer doctors and fewer engineers, and this is going to have a very bad effect on broader American society,' concluded Wolfson. 'The Trump administration, at the same time that they're saying that they're trying to create a great country, are destroying the sector that's one of the most critical in having a great, profitable and healthy democratic country.'
