From: University Relations and Marketing
Dear OSU Community Members:
Today, the university submitted a legal declaration in support of a lawsuit filed this week by the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU), the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the American Council on Education (ACE) that challenges actions by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to cut the reimbursement rate for Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs to a maximum of 15% on new grants.
By joining with dozens of other major research institutions in this action, OSU seeks to prevent harmful funding cuts to research infrastructure, including labs, facilities, compliance functions and administrative services that make groundbreaking scientific and medical discoveries possible. This follows related attempts to limit F&A rates by the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Energy on existing grants that are now under preliminary injunction due to previous litigation that OSU supported.
As Oregon’s leading research university with more NSF-funded research expenditures than all other Oregon universities combined, OSU has advocated strenuously on behalf of researchers, students and our land grant mission as we serve a broad spectrum of interests and industries across the state. In addition to taking legal action, we are working closely with peer universities and member associations to highlight the vital role of OSU’s research enterprise in improving the lives of Oregonians and people around the world.
At the same time, the Division of Research and Innovation and the Colleges are planning proactively for what the funding landscape will look like in the future and ways to position OSU for success going forward while continuing to advise principal investigators who are navigating today’s funding environment. All academic faculty who receive stop-work orders or who experience slow-downs in disbursement of funds should contact [email protected]. For additional information and updates, visit the Division of Research and Innovation website.
In addition to advocating on behalf of research, OSU promotes and stands ready to defend academic freedom and free expression at the university. OSU employees interested in learning more about the university’s role and commitments in this area are invited to register to attend an online panel discussion on “Academic Freedom in the Curriculum: Navigating a Shifting Political Landscape” on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom. The session is co-sponsored by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, Division of Academic Affairs and Office of Institutional Diversity.
Finally, as of last week, following legal declarations filed by the university in support of individual OSU students challenging the termination of their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records, all 13 OSU international students impacted by recent federal actions have had their records restored. OSU’s Office of International Services continues to provide information and resources while advocating on behalf of international students and employees. Last month, OSU joined 85 peer institutions and associations in an amicus brief filed by the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration in support of a lawsuit brought by the American Association of University Professors and others to challenge federal actions impacting international students and educators, including their speech and expression activities.
The university continues to monitor and respond to the evolving federal landscape while staying in regular contact with state and federal elected representatives and officials to advocate on behalf of OSU students, employees and the communities we serve.
On behalf of the university,
Rob Odom, Vice President of University Relations and Marketing