A regular digest for UW faculty with updates on federal and national issues of relevance to their teaching, research and service; actions the University is taking; and ways for faculty to be involved.
Federal Landscape
Government shutdown
As the federal shutdown carries on without a clear path to resolution, the effect on the UW over the last two weeks remained largely unchanged from what UW leadership noted earlier this month. The University continues to receive payments from federal agencies, including for research, patient care and student aid. As a result, a decision has been made to continue our state of “normal operations” through Nov. 14 and continue ongoing impact assessment work.
It is important to note that forward-looking risks associated with the shutdown continue to build. In particular, delays in issuance of new or continuing federal awards and furloughs or layoffs at the federal/federal contractor level are hindering our ability to conduct normal business with the federal government.
UW leadership anticipates continuing to make operational decisions on a two-week cadence, with the next update occurring prior to Nov. 14 and covering the period through the end of November.
The Office of Research continues to provide guidance and possible impacts to researchers and research award administrators who are directly affected by the shutdown. UW Finance, Planning and Budgeting, as well as the UW Federal Relations team, are keeping leadership apprised of developments. Check the UW Federal Relations blog for updates on federal government actions and developments.
International
AAU joins lawsuit against $100,000 H-1B application fee
The Association of American Universities, of which the UW is a member, has joined a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce against the federal administration’s imposition of a $100,000 fee per H-1B visa application. In a statement announcing the filing, AAU President Barbara R. Snyder said that the vast majority of employees at America’s leading research universities are U.S. workers, but that by imposing such a high fee “some of the smartest, hardest-working individuals from the rest of the world will no longer be able to contribute here” and that this “will ultimately harm the U.S. economy while giving our global competitors a leg up on us in the worldwide race for scientific, health, and technological dominance.”
Key links
- Office of the Provost’s Federal Policy Updates
- UW Medicine’s Federal Policy Updates (UW NetID required)
- Office of Research’s Federal Policy Guidance
- UW Research Makes America
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Resources for Researchers & Instructors
Open private funding opportunities for faculty, researchers
Faculty and researchers may search current open funding opportunities from private sources for their research and programs through a dashboard developed by the UW Corporate & Foundation Relations team.
Office of Research Seminar Series: Working with Foundations
Join Office of Research leadership, staff from the Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations, and featured faculty to learn how foundations operate and how to strengthen grant-seeking efforts with private philanthropic funders. The online seminar will be 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Pacific Time), Friday, Nov. 14. Register by Nov. 12. The link will be sent upon registration.
REMINDER: International scholar support survey
To gather feedback on the services it provides, Academic Personnel & Faculty’s International Scholars Office (ISO) is conducting an international scholar support survey through Nov. 15, 2025.
REMINDER: Guidance for managing classroom disruptions
Campus Community Safety offers guidance to faculty, staff, instructors, teaching assistants and lab assistants to help them prepare for and respond to disruptions in classrooms, labs and other academic spaces. In addition, Campus Community Safety has posted general safety information and training information, as well as campus-specific resources for Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma.