In its first month of action, the Trump administration limited National Institute of Health and National Science Foundation grants, which could severely impact university research. UTD has instructed its faculty to keep doing their work and communicate in case any stops are issued against their research.
Rafael Martín, vice president and chief of staff, said to the Academic Senate on Feb. 19 that no specific decisions had impacted UTD’s current research programs yet because many of them are caught up in the judicial system.
While current research remains untouched, Martín said that researchers should be more cautious with their expenditures, such as what equipment they buy, during this uncertain period. Otherwise, they should continue paying salaries and conducting their established research for the time being.
Joseph Pancrazio, vice president for research and innovation, said his office will be closely tracking all the federal developments and was in communication with the UT System to discuss how to best handle the situation. As of the Feb. 19 meeting, Pancrazio said that three bridge loans have already been issued to help researchers facing grant issues because of federal activity.
“We want to protect the kids and post-doc staff, we want to make sure there is continuity in research operations,” Pancrazio said. “We have resources that I have set aside for seed grants. If need be, we will pivot to meet current needs so that faculty may maintain research continuity.”
Pancrazio said that any faculty experiencing issues with funding from their federal grants should reach out to his office immediately for support. Bridge loans will be provided on a case-by-case basis and include detailed discussions between the Office of Research and Innovation, the affected faculty, relevant department head and applicable dean.
Of particular concern was the new guidance issued by the NIH and similar federal organizations which limited indirect cost rates to 15% instead of the rates universities had previously negotiated with the government, which could range anywhere from 27% to 64% based on the institution. Ravi Prakash, computer science professor and Academic Senate member, said the university needed to have substantive preparations in place for this change because indirect costs are essential to running research.
Martín said that UTD would have little choice on how funds are redistributed and how costs are categorized, since they must wait on federal regulators to provide updated guidelines. Pancrazio said the goal of current talks with legislators is to mitigate the negative effects of the 15% cap, which would make all research on campus more costly to pursue because of decreased federal support.
“There is communication with federal legislators in a manner I hope where we can play the long game to impact what the IDC rates will be,” Pancrazio said. “It absolutely impacts us, and the question is how [much]?”
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 plan argued for capping indirect costs at universities because “universities also use this influx of cash to pay for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.” UTD’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and its successor, the Office of Campus Resources and Support, were both eliminated as part of the university’s compliance with SB-17. Prakash said the UT System needs to advocate publicly for itself and its faculty because an incorrect image of what universities do is taking hold with the public.
“We are losing the battle of public opinion, and somebody in the UT System needs to be writing op-eds and holding press conferences to reach out to the public,” Prakash said. “The chancellor keeps telling us that the public has a very low opinion of higher education, but what is he doing about it?”
Martín said it would be more effective to wait for the UT System to speak, instead of having one university attempt to make an impact. Pancrazio said that high-ranking administrators like himself and Martín have the least sway over the public.
“If I was reading an article from an administrator that said, ‘Give me some more money,’ more that was perceived as excess, then I would never give it the time or the attention,” Pancrazio said. “Our best advocates aren’t going to be in administrators. You expect the fat cats to say, ‘Don’t cut my slice of the pie away.’ My question is how we build the advocacy so we have the right people carrying the message of the university.”
Michael Kesden, physics professor and Speaker of the Academic Senate, said that all he asks for from campus administration during this time is transparency and an effort to consult faculty for the big budgetary decisions that must be made once the dust settles around the flurry of recent executive actions.
Kesden said that for the time being, faculty and students are in the best position to advocate for the importance and continuity of their research to the general public.
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UTD’s last Academic Senate meeting was like watching a clown car blow up — grotesquely funny and utterly captivating – The Retrograde
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