FIU in D.C.: Legislative update

As the second session of the 112th Congress moves forth, FIU advocates have been busy protecting critical financial aid resources, advocating for our critical health and environmental priorities, and celebrating our global reach in the nation’s capital. Last month’s release of the president’s FY13 Budget also set in motion the federal appropriations process which we are actively tracking for maximum impact to our federal priorities.

Financial Aid

The president’s proposal would set the maximum Pell Grant at $5,635, an $85 increase, through the 2014-15 academic year and forestall for a year a scheduled increase in the interest rate for federally subsidized student loans. Currently, more than 20,000 FIU students receive Pell Grants. Additionally, Stafford Loan recipients would be impacted by an interest rate increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent this summer, if no action is taken by June. Impacted students would be hit with an additional $5,000-$11,000 in repayments, depending upon the life of their loans. The administration has also called for increases to campus-based financial aid, such as work study and Perkins Loans, revamping both to benefit universities that keep their net price low and value high.

Critical Research Priorities for South Florida

Research budgets at the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and NIST would increase under the president’s plan, along with increased grant-making capacity at the National Institutes of Health(NIH). Vice President for Research Andres Gil met recently with institute leaders at NIH, specifically the National Institute for General Medical Sciences and the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NBIB).  These are two critical agencies to our research portfolio, which includes cutting-edge work on neuroprosthetics, which has promise to transmit sensation to the prosthetic devices now used by injured veterans. Gil also met with the deputy director at NIH, to provide input on strategies to diversify the biomedical workforce.

STEM Education

As one of the top producers of degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degrees for minorities, FIU seeks to become the national leader in STEM education research. University leaders were present when the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its report calling for 1 million new graduates in STEM education. Much of this report confirms the transformative work of our Colleges of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Computing, and College of Education in inspiring K-12 students, reforming introductory science courses and producing scientists-as-teachers.

Earlier this year, President Rosenberg hosted a dialogue on STEM education which brought together federal partners, private funders and local partners like Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In March, the College of Engineering and Computing is hosting a National Science Foundation-sponsored workshop addressing the grand challenges in engineering education. We also had a chance to meet with the staff of one of Capitol Hill’s strongest champions for STEM Education, Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, and FIU is a national partner of “100kin10”— a national campaign to train and recruit 100,000 STEM teachers.

Protecting Our Fragile Environment

The House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation recently held a hearing in Miami on “Off Shore Drilling in Cuba and the Bahamas,” where John Proni, executive director of FIU’s Applied Research Center, testified before the subcommittee and members of the South Florida delegation, detailing a proposed research plan to monitor for the effects of drilling off our shores.

Global Engagements

Dean Michael Hampton of the Chaplin School of Hospitality Management presents a very special bottle of wine—made by FIU students—to the Georgian Ambassador to the United States, Temur Yakobashvili at his residence in Washington, D.C.

Several FIU departments are mobilizing actively to respond to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s  (USAID) call for increased university-led research, where we aim to position our strengths in extreme events, water sanitation, climate change and a growing specialty in tropical diseases. The Federal Relations team also joined Chaplin School of Hospitality Dean Mike Hampton, Associate Dean Rocco Angelo and Associate Vice President of Research Luis Salas at a recent visit to the residence of Georgian Ambassador Temur Yakobashvili in celebration of our ongoing global water sustainability (GLOWS) in Georgia and exploring opportunities for further research engagements.

Protecting financial aid for our students, catalyzing research and economic development, protecting our shores, and providing solutions to global partners… FIU is WorldsAhead.