Various higher education associations addressed a letter, dated December 9th, 2019, to Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce expressing concerns about the future of OPT. UW is a member of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) and Association of American Universities (AAU), which both signed the letter circulated by the American Council on Education. The letter requests that the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs meet with the Department of Homeland Security and relevant agencies to affirm the future of OPT and address long visa processing times.
Category: Higher Education
Executive Order on Antisemitism
President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at tackling antisemitism on college campuses. The order gives Jewish persons special protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which is enforced by the Department of Education. Under statute, Title VI only gives protection for race, color, or national origin. In a press statement at a White House Hanukkah event, President Trump said colleges would be ineligible for federal funds if they “traffic in anti-Semitic hate”.
UW Joins Amicus Brief Supporting OPT
On November 21, UW joined over 100 other higher education institutions in filing an amicus brief in the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers Union vs. U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (Washtech) litigation. The amicus brief was filed by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, and affirms support for Optional Practical Training (OPT). OPT is an invaluable component of American higher education and greatly contributes to the US economy. The full brief can be found here.
ED Releases Fall 2019 Regulatory Agenda
On Wednesday, the Department of Education (ED) released its Fall 2019 Unified Regulatory Agenda. The agenda includes a number of areas for proposed rulemaking that carried over from Spring 2019, as well as a new proposed rule on campus free speech. Of note, the final Title IX regulations are in the final stage at OMB. The final rules could be delayed into 2020.
Typically the public comment window is 60 days, but the Administration has allowed for just 30 days in some instances. While ED often does not make major changes to its proposed rules, public comments can result in positive improvements to the final regulations.
Timeline for Forthcoming Proposed Rules
- NEW: Regulations on Campus Free Speech, November 2019
- Regulations on FERPA, January 2020
- Updating regulations on HEA Title III and V programs, March 2020
- Creating a priority for faculty member research opportunities within the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP), May 2020
- Updating regulations for the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program, May 2020
Idea Floating for New Research-Funding Entity
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is considering a draft proposal for a new entity which would spend $100 billion over five years on research related to artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and 5G technology. The tentative name for the proposed organization is the “National Science and Technology Foundation”. It would be a subsidiary of the National Science Foundation and would work in concert with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). For context, NSF’s annual budget is currently $8.1 billion.
The idea comes from the interim report, published November 4th, from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, which was a commission established through the FY2019 National Defense Authorization bill (P.L. 115-232).
The US is competing fiercely with Russia and China to be the global leader in artificial intelligence, so this organization would be closely tied to US national security.
The proposal is still in the earliest stages of development, and it has not been decided how the organization will be structured or if it will continue to operate after the initial five year period.
Read more about the proposal here.