Federal and State Policy Change Updates

Dear Faculty, Staff and Graduate Students,

I hope that you have a restorative weekend and are able to take advantage of the early release today to spend more time with your family, friends and community. We appreciate all of the work that you do to make our university a home for our students, faculty and staff, and we remain committed to supporting all of you. As part of that support, I have several updates to report this week related to federal and state actions.

Department of Energy Indirect Rate Cap

On April 11, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a 15% cap on the agency’s federal support of “indirect costs” for DOE research funding. On April 14, a group of higher education organizations, including the Association of American Universities (AAU), the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court, seeking a restraining order on the cap. On April 16, the district judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the enforcement of the cap while announcing that a hearing will be held on April 28. We will continue to monitor this lawsuit and policy shift closely, and we encourage those impacted by DOE grants to stay in touch with Sponsored Research Services.

Grants.Gov Administration Update

Recently, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken over responsibility for managing Grants.Gov. Thus far, we have not seen any significant effects to operations of the site from our end, and we continue to submit and manage proposals there.

International Student, Scholar and Employee Update

As we mentioned in both a dedicated university communication and my weekly email last week, we are continuing to monitor the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) for changes to the legal immigration status of our international students and scholars. The number of affected students here at Texas A&M University remains at 23 since we last reported on Friday, April 11. We are focused on and committed to supporting our international community through this uncertainty. International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) has developed a hub of resources for our international students and scholars, and they have organized two upcoming events to offer immigration information and support to our international students and scholars. Please contact isss@tamu.edu for more information.

We also recognize our international faculty and staff may have concerns as well. Our Immigration Affairs team has been actively reaching out with resources and information, as the guidance for employees differs from that for students and scholars. We encourage faculty and staff with questions to reach out to Immigration Affairs.  

89th State Legislature Updates

This week in the state legislature, a committee substitute for Senate Bill 37, the bill that impacts university governance, faculty senates and core curriculum requirements, passed out of the Senate and will now start its journey over in the House. Government Relations (GR) staff and Texas A&M leadership are actively working with legislators and their staff to provide information about the impacts of the legislation as currently proposed. Our GR team, leadership team and staff are closely tracking any legislation that may impact higher education and engaging lawmakers and their staff with questions, requests for clarification and information regarding the potential effects. As we head into the final weeks of the legislative session (which ends on June 2), please expect to see an increase in media coverage of different bills, and remember to verify any information you may see or hear with reputable sources.

We will continue to keep you updated on the changing policy landscape and its effects on our university. You can always find the latest information on the federal policy updates webpage, and researchers may access specific guidance for principal investigators. If you have questions, concerns or would like to request a visit from a leadership team member, we are available to share information and answer questions. Please reach out to my office at provost@tamu.edu.

Thank you,

Alan
Alan Sams
Provost and Executive Vice President