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University of Michigan

	Washington Update
A Quarterly Report from the University of Michigan Washington, DC Office
Volume IIII		Spring 2005

Washington Update

A Quarterly Report from the University of Michigan
Washington, DC Office

Volume IIII, Spring 2005
APPROPRIATIONS MAJOR FOCUS OF RECENT ACTIVITY
MAJOR PUSH FOR FOR INNOVATION
BIG TEN PRESIDENTS LOBBY FOR HIGHER ED SUPPORT
CONGRESSIONAL BREAKFAST ANOTHER SUCCESS
TEACHING SPACE SCIENCE TO SELL SPACE SCIENCE FUNDING
EDUCATING ON HUMAN SUBJECT PROTECTIONS, NIH

APPROPRIATIONS MAJOR FOCUS OF RECENT ACTIVITY

With the federal budget tightening that is expected in FY 2006, the DC office has been focusing its recent efforts at making sure lawmakers know the University’s priorities for the upcoming appropriations process.
Numerous faculty have come to Washington in recent weeks to advocate for continued funding of important university programs. Among these are the Michigan Space Grant Alliance, the Michigan Sea Grant program, Automotive Research Center, Great Lakes Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Center, Children’s Health Study program at NIH, and Emergency Medical Services for Children at HHS.
In addition, activities have focused on getting support among the Michigan delegation broadly for student financial aid and the federal science agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy Office of Science, NASA, and basic research accounts at the Department of Defense.
Given the fiscal constraints facing Congress this year, these activities take on added significance in the battle for federal support for research and education.     top

MAJOR PUSH FOR INNOVATION

As part of the effort to remind Congress of the importance of investing in research and education, the DC office is actively involved in promoting two new reports that show U.S. competitiveness is waning in the face of increasing economic challenges from China, India and other emerging nations. These reports tout investment in education and scientific research as the key to reversing this trend and maintaining the nation’s competitiveness.
In December, President Coleman came to Washington to help unveil a report entitled “Innovate America,” developed by the Council on Competitiveness. This group of university presidents and corporate CEO’s worked for 15 months to produce the document, which lays out an aggressive agenda for government, industry and education to help American maintain its innovative edge. The DC office has since worked with the Council and its allies to promote the findings of the report on Capitol Hill.

A second effort led by the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation – a consortium of universities, high-tech businesses and science societies – developed a series of benchmarks that show how many foreign nations are now surpassing the U.S. in their research investment, threatening America’s economy. The benchmarks have been widely circulated with key lawmakers in Congress and are helping to generate major press stories that show that U.S. innovation will fall behind other nations absent greater investment in federally-funded university research. Despite the Administration assertions that these concerns are unwarranted, we have begun hearing key Members of Congress raise concerns about the nation’s economic competitiveness and the need to support science and education.   top

BIG TEN PRESIDENTS LOBBY FOR HIGHER ED SUPPORT

Six Big Ten presidents including Mary Sue Coleman met recently with Representative John Boehner (R-OH), the chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee to discuss the Higher Education Act Reauthorization. The presidents expressed their concerns with a number of proposals in the current legislation including changes to student financial aid programs, academic bill of rights, and transfer of credits. The presidents also stressed their commitment to provide access and affordability for low-income students to attend the Big Ten schools. President Coleman spoke specifically about the University’s recently announced M-PACT Program and commitment to reduce the debt-burden of our students.    top

CONGRESSIONAL BREAKFAST ANOTHER SUCCESS

The annual U-M Congressional Breakfast was held on March 15th with an outstanding turnout of Michigan alumni, Members of Congress and staff, and other friends of the University.
Freshman Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) used his keynote remarks to call upon the state legislature to ramp up funding for higher education in Michigan, generating press coverage both in DC and back in Michigan. President Coleman discussed the value of higher education to the state and spoke of economic development activities that U-M is undertaking. She also took the opportunity to announce the Michigan In Washington semester program that will begin in September 2005.
Nearly 300 people attended the event, which is hosted by the U-M Alumni Club of Washington. Proceeds go toward the club’s scholarship program.
Following the breakfast, President Coleman visited one-on-one with several members of the Michigan Congressional delegation.     top

TEACHING SPACE SCIENCE TO SELL SPACE SCIENCE FUNDING

U-M Professor Thomas Zurbuchen of the College of Engineering recently taught space science to a group of congressional staffers, with the goal of educating them about the need to adequately fund the NASA budget.
Dr. Zurbuchen and Dr. Derek Sears of the University of Arkansas were speakers at a Capitol Hill luncheon hosted by the Science Coalition, a group of 55 major universities (including U-M) that advocates broadly for federal research support. Zurbuchen and Sears discussed their on-going research supported by NASA to make the point that unmanned research is an important complement to manned space flight missions and that university-based research is critical in the education and development of graduate students. Concerns have been raised that the new Moon and Mars program enunciated by President Bush will force NASA to divert science funding into paying for the logistics needed to send men in space.
Zurbuchen’s comments included numerous animations that discussed how the Sun creates space weather and the impact that has on Earth and the other planets. The event was very well attended and the session included several substantive discussions with the audience on the direction of the nation ’s space program.    top

EDUCATING ON HUMAN SUBJECT PROTECTIONS, NIH

In an effort to educate lawmakers on how U-M addresses human subject protections in both clinical and social science research, the DC office helped organize a visit to campus for a key congressional staffer and the head of government affairs for the Association of American Universities.
The day-long tour gave the visitors a chance to see first-hand how a major research university works hard to comply with federal regulations, as well as to discuss potential changes to those regulations. The visit included several substantive discussions on how to improve human subjects protections and why there are differences in how best to accomplish this in clinical and social science settings.
In addition, the DC office has worked with key legislative staff to highlight issues of importance to U-M that will be debated as part of a re-authorization bill for NIH.   top

Mike Waring, Executive Director of Federal Relations
and Director of the Washington Office
mwaring@umich.edu
Mark Burnham, Director of Federal Relations for Research
mburnham@umich.edu
Cindy Bank, Assistant Director
bankc@umich.edu
Marlene Andersen, Office Manager
marlenej@umich.edu

University of Michigan Washington Office
499 S. Capitol Street, SW, Suite 501
Washington, DC 20003
202-554-0578 (phone)
202-554-0582 (fax)
http://www.umich.edu/~govrel/umdc.html