Happy (three day) weekend and (unofficial) beginning of summer. This week was relatively quiet, but today’s update includes restrictions on scholarly publishing, more leadership changes at NIH, and more.
Federal Research Policy
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee this week, ostensibly to discuss the president’s budget request. Instead, much of the discussion centered on the open leadership positions at the agency and the slow release of grant funds.
The President of Johns Hopkins and the Chancellor of the University of Kansas co-authored a piece this week an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal calling for federal agencies to restore normal grant timelines. NPR has another piece on this issue.
Science is reporting on the restrictions NIH (and NASA) funded researchers face when publishing with co-authors affiliated with institutions in other countries.
According to reporting by AIP, there are indications that the Administration is considering restricting federal funding from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine due to their publication of a chapter on climate change in its Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence. About half of NASEM’s revenue comes from federal funding.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report on the cost of scholarly publishing this week. There is lots to quibble with from an academic librarian perspective, but it appears that limits on the degree to which publication costs can be paid through grant funds are forthcoming.
Public Health
Jeffery Taubenberger, the acting head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has reportedly stepped down. Stat has additional reporting.
Stephanie Haridopolos has been named as the acting Surgeon General. The Administration has nominated Nicole Saphier. Her nomination to take the position has yet to be confirmed by the senate.
Higher Education
The Department of Education announced this week that it has reached consensus on a new regulatory framework to pursue “reforming and strengthening the nation’s higher education accreditation system”. As reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education, the framework is largely in line with the President’s 2025 Executive Order.
The faculty of Harvard voted this week to impose a 20 percent cap on A grades for undergraduate courses beginning in fall 2027.
UC Berkeley’s law school announced a new AI policy this week, effectively banning the use of the technology in the preparation of class assignments and exams.
The Ringer of all places has a piece covering recent events at Cornell University.