CGS sends Higher Education Priorities Letter to Congress

This week, CGS sent a letter to Members of Congress regarding issues of importance to the association. Specifically, CGS called upon Members of the 117th Congress to support federal legislation and policies that improve access to graduate education, promote the United States as a global leader, and create a more equitable and prosperous society for all.

A high priority for CGS is the expansion of access to the Pell Grant Program to graduate students. This program has served the undergraduate student population well, but it is now time to expand the program to support graduate students. In addition to financial support for graduate students, the letter encourages Congress to make robust investments in graduate education and research, as well as support federal policies and legislation that promote greater diversity and inclusion in higher education.

Department of Energy Announces $1.5 Million for Research Development and Partnership Pilots

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to provide $1.5 million in new grants to colleges and universities, that are underrepresented in DOE’s climate, Earth, and environmental science investments, to help provide technical assistance to build capacity and achieve the goal of broadening institutional participation. “With enormous challenges facing the country to solve the climate crisis and promote equitable solutions and practices, we must diversify and expand the talent pool in climate and Earth science disciplines in order for science to exert even greater impacts on society,” said Sharlene Weatherwax, DOE associate director of science for biological and environmental research. “These grants will promote a strong and diverse talent pool as we move into the future, where climate science will make major and impactful contributions in support of the DOE mission.”

An informational webinar will be held on Tuesday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. You can register here.

NSF: Data Collection on the Violation of Sexual Harassment Policies

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget to collect data on the violation of sexual harassment or other forms of harassment policies. According to the federal register notice, “the primary purpose of this data collection is for institutional authorized organizational representatives to inform NSF of any finding/determination regarding the Principal Investigator (PI) or any co-PI that demonstrates a violation of awardee policies or codes of conduct, statutes, regulations, or executive orders relating to sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, or sexual assault; and/or if the PI or any co-PI is placed on administrative leave or if any administrative action has been imposed on the PI or any co-PI by the awardee relating to any finding/determination or an investigation of an alleged violation of awardee policies or codes of conduct, statutes, regulations, or executive orders relating to sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, or sexual assault.”

All written responses must be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this federal register notice; all comments are due by March 22.

Recruiting International Students in a New Era

Inside Higher Ed and ETS have issued a new report titled “Recruiting International Students in a New Era”. The articles in the report explore the challenges facing colleges in recruiting talent abroad. In addition, colleges have started again to encourage their American students to study abroad. Srikant Gopal, executive director of the TOEFL Program at ETS, stated in the report “The education sector is keenly aware of the continuing implications of what has been experienced since early 2020, especially the notion that change is the only constant. And with change, comes the inevitable question of tradeoffs and choices — some that are quite challenging. How can institutions meet enrollment goals but also identify the right students? How can short-term financial goals be met without compromising institutional reputation that has taken decades to build? How can institutions offer students the same level of choice (e.g., in coursework format, admissions requirements) while preserving the quality of those choices?”

Language Resource Centers Program Application for New Awards

The Department of Education announced this week the application of new awards for the Language Resource Center Program (LRC). The LRC Program provides grants to institutions of higher education or consortia of IHEs for establishing, strengthening, and operating centers that serve as resources for improving the Nation’s capacity for teaching and learning foreign languages through teacher training, research, materials development, assessment, and dissemination projects.

The FY 2022 LRC application package is now available at www.grants.gov. The deadline for submitting applications is April 25. The International Foreign Language Education office expects to make 16 new awards totaling $2,746,768 under the FY 2022 LRC competition. The estimated range for awards is $130,000-$197,000 per year.