A slowdown in some research grants. The cancellation of others. And the Trump administration’s proposal to slash funding to the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.
While Penn State has had a strong year when it comes to research, it and other institutions are facing new challenges under the Trump administration, according to information Andrew Read, Penn State’s senior vice president for research, outlined during a town hall Wednesday.
The Trump administration also wants to cap at 15% the amount of federal grant funding universities can use to pay for overhead costs, such as equipment maintenance and meeting regulatory requirements.
“There is the potential dismantling of a system that has worked exceptionally well for decades going on right now," Read said.
Still, Read sounded an optimistic note.
“I don’t like where we’re at at the movement. I don’t like where we might be headed. I don’t like how bad things could get, but we have lots of things to work with," he said. "To me the university-federal partnership has generated so much prosperity, so much health, so much security, I have to believe that we’re going to return again to a key element of what made America great.”
Matthew Ferrari, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Penn State, raised concerns about the potential impact of visa restrictions on students from other countries.
“Many of our research programs and many of our grants are fundamentally dependent on foreign students and foreign workers," he said.
Read agreed international students are an important part of Penn State’s operation. He said the university is keeping an eye on the “fast evolving” situation.
In a recent move, the State Department stopped scheduling new visa interviews for international students who want to study in the United States. The pause is reportedly temporary as the department expands its screening of students’ activity on social media activity.
