Academic medical centers are constantly striving to do three very difficult things at the same time: deliver world-class, cost-effective care; train a new generation of clinicians; and push the standard of care through research. Today, more than ever, delivering on each mission is complicated by federal and state policy changes, a significant reduction in federal funding, and increasing labor costs and expenses.

is one of about 225 academic health systems across the country that are pivoting and evolving, reshaping how they heal, teach, and discover. And how it continues delivering is being guided by Boundless Possibility, Ģ����ý’s 2030 strategic plan. At and those efforts are being led by , the president and CEO of both hospitals.

Parrinello has been with Ģ����ý Medicine since 1975. Starting at Strong, she worked in nursing through the 1990s and then moved into central administration and eventually became Strong’s chief operating officer. Now the president and CEO of two hospitals, Parrinello offered a glimpse into her corner of Ģ����ý Medicine in a Leadership Conversation.

Here are five takeaways.

‘System-ness’ is Meliora.

Most of today’s academic medical centers have moved from providing care through a single hospital to operating as multi-campus health systems composed of specialty hospitals, centers, and research institutes. Parrinello explained that evolution began at Ģ����ý in the late 1990s. Strong was becoming increasingly crowded, while Highland had room to grow. Rather than expanding Strong, the University began thinking strategically about how to work collaboratively.

What started as taking advantage of natural synergies between two Rochester hospitals became the foundation for expanding access to care regionally. Ģ����ý Medicine embraced affiliation with smaller, rural hospitals—such as those in ,  , ,�� , , and —to maintain strong community hospitals close to home for residents across the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier, with access to highly specialized care in Rochester.

Parrinello calls this “system-ness” and pointed to Ģ����ý Medicine’s cancer care as one of its best outcomes. (In his Leadership Conversation, David Linehan, the CEO of the Medical Center, dean of the , and senior vice president for health sciences at URochester, also talked about the concept of system-ness, which he described as “using all the pieces on the chessboard.”)

“Healthcare is very, very complex these days. It takes teams of highly trained individuals—oftentimes with very specialized skill sets to provide optimal care for our patients.”

Parrinello spoke of system-ness as both ethos and aspiration. It’s being one team with one purpose and a shared commitment to delivering high-quality care at the right level, in the right place, seamlessly. But it’s also striving to be ever better at doing it.

The goal isn’t more space; it’s better care.

Overcrowding in emergency departments is a national problem with local complications. In 2001, within months of Strong completing renovations to its current emergency department, one longstanding community hospital announced it was closing and another significantly downsizing. These changes put a strain on all remaining emergency departments in Monroe County, including Strong, which today provides care for more than 110,000 emergency patients each year in a space designed for 66,000.

The Strong Expansion Project is Ģ����ý Medicine investing in a structural solution to an issue the community has faced for years.

When completed, the new nine-story patient tower will give the hospital more than 650,000 square feet of new, modern space and more than triple the size of the hospital’s Emergency Department (ED). Another important feature is the addition of more than 100 inpatient beds.

“Patients are often waiting to get to beds. Moving patients when they need to be admitted is the real key to managing overcrowding in the ED.”

Parrinello made it clear that the tower isn’t just about more space (or beds); it’s about the right space. The new tower will provide one critical care bay designed for treating high-intensity trauma cases and another critical care bay for patients who need immediate medical intensive care for cardiac or neuro emergencies. Children in need of emergent care and patients experiencing mental health crises will also be treated in environments that are better suited for their needs.

Ģ����ý Medicine is taking another, more innovative approach to capacity issues by moving care beyond hospital walls. A new program that Parrinello is particularly excited about is , an option for patients with acute needs who can be safely and effectively treated in their home with daily visits from care teams and telemedicine connections to the hospital.

“It’s been really exciting. Once families become more competent and confident in providing care in the home, readmission rates tend to be lower because they know they can reach out to their provider and get the services that they need.”

Hospital at Home is a new form of inpatient care, but patients can also receive a whole array of more medically advanced services in outpatient settings. Parrinello noted that leadership is continually thinking about how Ģ����ý Medicine can maximize efficiencies and patient convenience in roughly 250 off-site clinical locations, including the for Orthopaedics and Physical Performance in Henrietta.

Strong’s expansion is for staff, too.

Parrinello explained that the expansion project was also designed with employee well-being in mind, and simply starting construction provided a much-needed morale boost to faculty and staff in Strong’s perpetually overcrowded ED.

“Watching that building be built is really encouraging, because we owe it to our teams. We need to make sure they have the right spaces to work in so they can provide the best care to patients.”

But there’s more to well-being than providing staff members with the space and time to have meals, exercise, and recharge. Parrinello noted that , Ģ����ý Medicine’s inaugural chief well-being officer, is working with IT teams and clinical leaders to design more efficient workflows. Parrinello added that part of creating efficiencies is making sure they have the right personnel and the right patient-to-staff ratios. Rooney is helping there as well.

Currently, Strong is staffed to care for around 950 patients every day, and frequently more than that, despite having only 897 licensed beds. The expansion will drastically improve the working conditions for staff and the privacy and comfort provided to patients. Although the incremental increase in overall patient volumes will be gradual given the current volume, Parrinello said more nurses and clinical support staff will be needed to serve the much larger facility. Recruitment plans are being developed to ensure the hospital is fully staffed when Phase 1 of the expansion project opens in May of 2027.

Policy and funding remain wildcards.

Forces beyond the hospital’s wall have the potential to reshape Ģ����ý Medicine’s care far more than the current expansion project. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, cuts $1 trillion from health programs over a period of eight years, including $120 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly “food stamps”).

Additionally, if the legislation continues as projected, an estimated 10 million people will lose their health insurance coverage, which is especially worrisome to Parrinello.

“For healthcare providers, that’s scary. When people lose insurance, it’s very difficult for them to get scheduled appointments with a provider. If they have no insurance and no ability to pay, what do they do? They come to the ED.”

With Josh Farrelman, the vice president for government relations, Parrinello and other leaders have been working closely with legislators to ensure Ģ����ý Medicine’s interests are reflected in New York State’s budget, which goes into effect this fall. They are also working with local government leaders and community partners to help area residents understand and comply with changing eligibility requirements for Medicaid and SNAP.

The future is bright and more automated.

When’s the last time someone talked about the future without mentioning AI? This isn’t one of those times.

Acknowledging that there are reasons to be cautious, Parrinello believes AI will be a transformational technology in healthcare. She called out Gregg Nicandri, the inaugural chief digital and innovation officer, who is leading Ģ����ý Medicine’s . Nicandri and his team are charged with helping the health system leverage AI and other emerging technologies to help providers and clinical teams work more quickly and efficiently.

is also helping the hospitals’ digital leadership teams determine how best to use AI to create efficiencies and improve patient care. Parrinello shared an existing example of that: DAX, an AI-powered documentation tool that uses ambient listening. Unburdened by notetaking, physicians using DAX—with the patient’s permission—can now shift focus solely on the patient. It’s also a big win for provider wellness.

“We’ve heard doctors say this has changed their lives. Because physicians see patients back-to-back-to-back, they often spend their evenings with their notes. It’s the work after work—that’s a stressor.”

The potential applications for AI are exciting, but Parrinello is moved more by conversations that tackle fundamental questions Strong and Highland face.

How do we provide better care in off-site locations closer to patients’ homes?

How do we build stronger synergies across the network?

How do we make sure we’re leaving room to focus on learning and innovation?

As her teams work to answer those questions, Parrinello is inspired by the improved success both hospitals have had recently in recruiting clinicians, nurses, and support staff in the wake of the pandemic.

“A lot of people left healthcare jobs during the scary pandemic times,” she said. “Now, we’re seeing a resurgence in interest with many more healthcare students and applicants for jobs in healthcare, and I’m very, very excited about that. I love the energy that comes with new people coming into our organization.”

At this time last year, Ģ����ý President Sarah Mangelsdorf issued a message to the University community in response to federal actions affecting its international students and scholars. In her message, she shared that nine Ģ����ý students and recent graduates had their records terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System by the Department of Homeland Security, which meant they no longer had valid legal status in the United States. Fortunately, all were reinstated.

Throughout 2025, a cluster of executive actions made it more difficult for international students to enter, stay, and feel secure at universities across the US. An notes that although students still want to study in the US, the chaos of 2025 has made them less confident about pursuing it—2026 saw a 17 percent decrease in international student enrollment across the nation. As the path to American universities has become more unpredictable, a combination of forces is not only complicating the landscape but also redefining “global higher education.”

Since October 2025, Reitumetse “Reitu” Mabokela, the vice provost for global engagement, has led the University in rethinking how it attracts talent, establishes partnerships, and delivers education and scholarship. In a Leadership Conversation, she discussed her charge: help the Ģ����ý remain competitive, connected, and forward-looking in a rapidly shifting global higher education landscape.

Here are five takeaways.

Four global trends are influencing Ģ����ý’s global strategy.

After covering some fundamentals about the Office for Global Engagement Mabokela dove into the forces acting upon universities across the country. (For background on the office, check out .)

The first is a demographic shift. Referencing , she shared that the UN estimates that, in the next two to three decades, the majority of the world’s projected population growth will occur in the southern hemisphere. By 2050, nine countries will account for more than 50 percent of global population growth and five of them are in Africa. Mabokela thinks it would behoove the University to reexamine how it’s engaging with parts of the world where there’s growing demand for what Ģ����ý offers.

Geopolitical volatility is another force that has manifested in several ways. Mabokela is focused on how the multitude of conflicts challenges Ģ����ý’s ability to attract the most talented faculty, students, and staff. That’s problematic because of the third trend: increasing global competition. Institutions around the world are making significant investments in their own higher education systems. And it’s working. Mabokela pointed to China as an example of a country that has positioned itself to send fewer students abroad and compete more successfully for international students who would have typically chosen to study in the US.

“Maintaining global appeal really requires strategic program alignment as well as targeted outreach beyond the countries where we have historically drawn students.”

The final trend is the rise of generative AI, which is changing the most fundamental aspects of how Ģ����ý conducts the business of higher education, including teaching, learning, and research.

Hybrid and virtual programs will provide global access.

Transnational education—where learners are not located in the same countries as the programs in which they’re enrolled—isn’t new. But global trends have people such as Forbes writer Maja Zelihic asking, Mabokela didn’t specifically advocate for this, but she did suggest that we continue to make use of what we learned from COVID-19.

The pandemic forced the University to utilize virtual spaces like never before, creating new norms for hybrid and online programs. This is where Mabokela sees potential for Ģ����ý to enhance and extend its global reach. She also sees room for growth in education abroad.

“We know that there’s a certain percentage of our students who will simply not be able to get on a plane and go far away, for any number of reasons. It is still our institutional responsibility to provide opportunities that ensure our students are globally prepared.”

With education abroad numbers not where Mabokela would like them to be, she’s looking to course correct through the classroom. By integrating global education into the curriculum through flexible delivery options, including virtual programs, more students could enjoy a global experience—which is an objective of Ģ����ý’s , the 2030 strategic plan.

Global engagement isn’t a bonus; it’s essential to solving real-world problems.

Amidst the geopolitical turmoil, some might wonder why higher education institutions are still putting effort into enrolling international students or sending students abroad. And the answer is that some are not, but instead are choosing to dial back their global engagement activities due to visa issues and political pressure. Others, such as URochester, are doubling down because it’s mission-critical.

“When one looks at the nature of global issues that we’re dealing with, many of them transcend geopolitical boundaries. It is imperative that we have that global fertilization of ideas and engage and collaborate with each other to address global challenges.”

Again, COVID-19 served as an example for Mabokela. Could humanity have overcome the pandemic without the partnerships and collaboration around vaccine development and distribution? It seems borderline impossible. Mabokela took that idea further, saying that finding meaningful solutions to society’s greatest problems isn’t feasible when working in silos.

But global engagement isn’t just about research, innovation, and pandemic-readiness. Mabokela touched on its value at the human level. When people spend time in foreign environments with people from different cultures who hold different views, they gain a unique education and level of understanding that is more important than ever.

Partnerships should prioritize depth over volume.

Talent and excellence can be found in universities around the world. So, when Mabokela thinks about how Ģ����ý approaches a partnership with University X in Country Y, it starts with mutual benefit and respect for the collaborating partners.

So, what are the areas of strength Ģ����ý is bringing to the table that complement an area or areas of strength at the prospective institution?

If the University receives a partnership proposal, Mabokela wants clear terms. What are the priorities? What are the goals? The partnership also needs to be strategically aligned with Ģ����ý’s mission and the objectives of its strategic plan.

“One of the things that would benefit us is to really think about fewer but more impactful relationships.”

For Ģ����ý to develop sustainable relationships, it must accept that it can’t be everything to everyone. It must be clear about who it is and what it excels at. Mabokela expressed that she’s thinking beyond higher education, including partners in the private and government sectors.

The status quo needs to go.

Fast forward to October 2030. Mabokela will be celebrating five years with Ģ����ý (and the University will be marking the completion of Boundless Possibility). What does she hope to have achieved at that point in her tenure?

In short, transformative change.

“Business as usual is no longer viable.”

Mabokela identified five prospective markers of success for her office.

1. They will have stabilized and expanded Ģ����ý’s international enrollment, especially in regions of the world where the University hasn’t historically been well-represented.
2. They will have developed multifaceted, mutually beneficial partnerships with a variety of stakeholders.
3. They will have seamlessly integrated the education abroad and global education initiatives into the Ģ����ý curriculum.
4. They will have helped elevate the University’s reputation.
5. They will have enhanced graduate student enrollment through innovative 3+2 and 4+1 programs.

Mabokela noted that if she only achieved that last marker, she would feel like she made a meaningful contribution to the University. The key is change. “We’re simply not going to be successful doing what we’ve been doing for the last 20, 30 years,” she says. “Our history has served us well, but we have to be forward-looking.”

With a collection of more than 13,000 works, representing cultures from around the world and across millennia, there is no shortage of opportunities to wow a first-time visitor to the (MAG). So, why does Sarah Jesse, the Mary W. and Donald R. Clark Director of the Memorial Art Gallery, choose to bring new visitors to see William Partridge’s marble statue ?

It’s a lasting symbol of the museum’s roots.

Commissioned by MAG founder Emily Sibley Watson, Memory—depicting a woman hugging an urn—memorializes Watson’s son, James Averell, while communicating her grief. The sculpture stands among Renaissance and ancient art on MAG’s second floor, near the entrance to the original 1913 building, which is also a memorial to Averell. Watson gave the building to the with the proviso that it be used as “a means alike of pleasure and of education for all the citizens of Rochester.”

The MAG has taken its adherence to Watson’s stipulation to a new level with the . Jumpstarted by a $3 million commitment from civic leader Abby Bennett, Ģ����ý Trustee Doug Bennett ’06S (MBA), the Sands Family Foundation, and MAG, the challenge seeks to build an endowment that enables free admission to the museum.

Jesse discussed the fundraising challenge in a Leadership Conversation that touched on topics such as access to art, industry trends, and connection to the community.

Here are five takeaways.

Accessibility is a matter of practicality and perception.

Since 1940, Oberlin College students, faculty, staff, and community members have had the opportunity to from the Allen Memorial Art Museum for $5. That’s how Jesse got to spend a semester as an undergraduate student with a Robert Rauschenberg print hanging in her dorm room. It was also part of a seminal experience that shaped her view on how museums should serve communities.

Expanding access to MAG has been one of Jesse’s top priorities since she arrived in February 2024. Knowing the MAG to be a genuine civic treasure and learning how many people love it led her to ramp up outreach to those who have no relationship to the museum.

“We have placed a lot of emphasis on programs that eliminate practical barriers, like fees, and perceptual barriers that lead to people thinking a museum isn’t for them, or they don’t belong.”

One of the most fruitful examples of those efforts is a partnership with the , which placed passes for free admission at all 32 of the system’s branches. There’s also the partnership with the , where students receive a 90-minute MAG visit once a week for four consecutive weeks each year, from Grade 2 to Grade 4.

Jesse shared a story of an RCSD student who touched a piece of artwork on his first visit because he was so excited to be at MAG. He then wrote the museum an apology letter, vowing to never do it again. The same student burst into tears on the last day of the program because he was so sad to be leaving the teaching artists. MAG gave his family a pass to visit whenever they want. Jesse shared the story because the desire to have community members visit MAG again and again was the impetus for the Free For All Forever Challenge.

Collections can deliver Boundless Possibility.

One of the that Ģ����ý’s 2030 strategic plan, Boundless Possibility, was built around is that the University’s future is inextricably linked to the city of Rochester. By committing to economic, educational, social, and cultural partnerships, the University can perpetuate the conditions that keep the city and region just and vibrant. “Just” and “Vibrant” resonated with Jesse.

“I think that’s MAG’s sweet spot. We expand worldviews. We nurture empathy and acceptance for differences through exposure to other cultures. And a community that enjoys that enrichment, creativity, and connection is a community that thrives.”

MAG, as described by Jesse, is a quintessential encyclopedic museum in that its holdings satisfy most checklists. Egyptian sarcophagus? Check. Renaissance armor? Check. Japanese woodblock prints? Check. The work of Monet? Rembrandt? O’Keeffe? Check. Check. Check. The reason the museum has such incredible breadth and depth is its second director and first curator, , respectively. Knowing that some of their fellow citizens might not ever leave Rochester, the Herdle sisters developed a collection that would expose them to art from around the world.

Today, museums across the US are facing the reality that great collections come with great responsibility. Jesse touched on this, noting the growing practice of “institutional critique.”

“There’s a sense that we need to reckon with the exclusionary practices that have led to a perception of elitism and really examine the bias of the art history canon.”

Right now, MAG is rethinking its American art galleries, including reexamining what “American art” means and how it can tell a more nuanced narrative. Jesse noted that museum patrons are currently seeing MAG curators experiment with gallery storytelling through anchor objects. For the longest time, the American art collection was anchored by a marble sculpture called , which, in the context of the gallery, could be interpreted as a symbol of manifest destiny. Jesse is thinking about how patrons’ perceptions and consumption of the gallery might change if the first piece they saw was a Mesoamerican ceremonial object. This is one example of how MAG is not only diversifying its collections and storytelling but also interrogating the biases of the art-history canon.

At any given time, MAG is only displaying about eight percent of its collection (which is normal for institutions like MAG), so Jesse and MAG’s curators have plenty of options for experimentation throughout the museum.

Greater capacity is the key to growth and stability.

One question Jesse frequently gets is, “Are you going to expand the museum?” People see the big empty field behind MAG, and they, understandably, see opportunity. Jesse admits even she was enchanted by the idea when she first arrived. But the work she and her team have put into their five-year strategic plan has made it clear they must first take care of the existing structures.

“Museums have to be physically beautiful to work their magic and convey to people: this is a place of consequence. This is a place of ideas. It’s an elevated realm.”

Enhancing and beautifying the gallery spaces is among the MAG’s focus areas moving forward. Jesse pointed out that the first-floor galleries used to have floor-to-ceiling windows. She sees opening those up again as a way to help make the first floor as physically inspiring as the second floor.

For Jesse, the path to growth—and stability—starts with bolstering MAG’s capacity. Capacity begets great programming, and great programming leads to better visibility among the community, creating a larger network of people who care about and invest in the museum. The more people who invest in the museum—primarily as members—the more MAG can do.

The strategic plan and the Free For All Forever Challenge are driven by MAG’s desire to be a more generous institution. That being said, MAG also exists because of the generosity of its community. People are often surprised to learn that every single object in the museum’s collection was a gift of some sort. In fact, a huge reason MAG has a world-class collection is the Marion Stratton Gould Fund. The fund was established by MAG board member Hannah Durand Gould in 1938 with a $365,000 bequest, which would be the equivalent to $7.1 million today.

Any today, including memberships, counts toward For Ever Better: The Campaign for the Ģ����ý.

MAG is both balm and wellspring.

In November 2025, the New York Times published a piece by critic A.O. Scott that highlights a poem by Robert Hayden called “Monet’s ‘Waterlilies.’” Many people sent the article to Jesse because, at the time, MAG had a Monet waterlily painting. But Jesse knew it was also because of this excerpt: “Art can’t save us from anything, but we need it as a reminder of something better—of a world that is the antithesis of what we inhale with the news.”

Jesse shared that there was a day when a visitor paused to put on her coat at the front desk, and as she did so, she sighed deeply and said, “That was just what I needed today.”

“I think more than ever, people are turning to MAG as a space of creativity, beauty, community, and joy.”

Jesse is thinking about the many roles MAG plays in the community, especially given the implications of a successful Free For All Forever initiative. MAG will attract many more first-time visitors, many of whom may be unsure about how to view art or otherwise engage with what the museum has to offer.

“First-timers” represent an important MAG demographic for Jesse as she wants people to fall in love with the museum. She aims to stoke those feelings by embedding opportunities to make art, read, and socialize within the galleries.

However, MAG is more than an oasis for weary souls. As an academic museum, it occupies a unique hybrid space, simultaneously a civic institution and university resource. Because of its location, it’s currently easier for the museum to serve the public than the academic community. Jesse is working on that.

Jesse would love for Ģ����ý students to have the kind of relationship with MAG that she had with the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin. She knows it’s a tall order. An early win for that student connection was making sure the museum is a destination for University shuttles. Another way she aims to move the needle is by working with faculty to see where MAG can be integrated into coursework.

Research is an under-recognized MAG role in the academic sphere. Curators are actively doing original research in art history. Jesse cited the work of Jess Marten, who is working on an exhibition that will give overdue recognition to a woman artist, Maria Oakey Dewing, who was widely dismissed for her penchant for painting flowers.

Enjoy MAG.

Historically, museums focused on the stewardship of their collections—an inherently flawed practice because if done perfectly, collections would remain locked away, never seeing light (or being seen). But, as museum directors wrote in in the wake of a spectacular heist, “Museums are neither bastions nor safes. While creating a safe environment for art and its audiences, their raison d’être lies in their openness and accessibility.”

For more than two decades, museums have shifted from object-centered institutions to people-centered spaces for education and engagement. The MAG is all-in on the latter. Jesse sees sharing MAG’s collection as MAG’s most important mission.

“I just want people to come enjoy this resource. It is for you, so take advantage of it.”

Jesse encouraged those who haven’t become members to do so and to remain members even after they meet the Free For All, Forever goal. She explained the predominant reason museums are hesitant to eliminate their admission fees is that admission is a perk of membership, and those memberships are critical to the museums’ health.

“Membership is a sign of health in the community,” she says. “So, I really hope when we go free, we see more members than we have ever had because they’re excited to be part of an institution that is doing such important work for the community.”

At the end of 2025, the published a report that explores the economic and social impact Ģ����ý has on the Greater Rochester and upstate New York regions. Commissioned by the , the report, created by , used fiscal year 2024 data to quantify and articulate the University’s annualized economic footprint through its operations, academic activities, and healthcare system.

The report’s findings showed Ģ����ý is far more than a provider of education. In short, the University, UR Medicine, and University affiliates are, collectively, a transformative economic force, driving prosperity and innovation, attracting investment, and creating opportunities for residents and industries across the region and the state.

Josh Farrelman, the vice president for government relations, provided context and answered questions that Ģ����ý community members might have about the report.

Q&A with Josh Farrelman

Why does the University commission reports like this?

Farrelman: The economic impact study we commissioned is a way we can validate the decisions of policymakers, community members, and donors by more clearly demonstrating the return on their investments and, more generally, our public value. It also helps us articulate how investment in higher education, healthcare, research, and arts and culture is safeguarding our region’s and state’s economic future and their residents’ quality of life.

Taxpayer dollars and philanthropic contributions enable and enhance our ability to successfully educate the next generation of leaders, provide care for chronic illness and complex disease, discover new technologies, enrich our culture through the arts, and strengthen our national and economic security. We deeply appreciate the funding we receive and take our stewardship of these funds very seriously because they are vital to our mission.

What can you tell us about this specific report? 

Farrelman: This was our first time working with ESI. They have worked with a number of peer institutions and brought a level of analysis that we didn’t have previously. One thing that excited me more about this report than previous reports is that it allowed us to gauge our estimated impact at different levels and quantify the University’s growing footprint statewide and even at a national level. For example, the study showed we’re a powerful economic development engine in the Finger Lakes region. Given our regional footprint, particularly due to our hospital affiliates, this was important. That’s also true statewide, with an estimated 66,700 jobs (1 in every 126) in New York being directly and indirectly supported by URochester.

Additionally, it was important that we could do some micro-targeting, specifically on our impact within the City of Rochester.

Were there any other notable aspects of the report?

Farrelman: I really am glad we were able to dig deeply into the research enterprise. At a time when federal research is being cut and undervalued, we wanted to highlight our robust innovation ecosystem and its positive impact—within New York State, the research enterprise had an almost $1 billion impact and generated almost $20 million in tax revenue.

The findings highlight our ability to attract research funding and top talent and how valuable that is to our community and state. Both enhance our ability to drive discovery, develop technology, inspire the creation of new companies, enter industry partnerships, lead economic development initiatives, and be a destination employer.

Another element of the report that was new to us was the ability to estimate alumni “wage premiums”—how much more they earn over the course of the year than those with only a high school diploma. Within the City of Rochester, alumni, cumulatively, earn $218 million more each year. That number jumps to $338 million when you’re looking at all of Monroe County. Looking at the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier Regions, the premium is $161 million, and statewide, it’s $1 billion.

Is there anything about the report you think will surprise readers?

Farrelman: I think the wage benefits our alumni enjoy in our community and throughout the state will be the most surprising. These figures are significant because when those earnings are spent or taxed, they support their respective economies. Within our state, the additional spending generated an estimated $785 million in annual economic activity and around $50 million in tax dollar support.

Not only do these figures help us articulate the value of a degree, but they also shine a light on how communities and states benefit from our alumni.

I also want to emphasize the University’s strong and growing commitment to our community. Our impact in this space is also hard to measure, but the report highlights everything from the direct annual support we provide to the indirect roles we play to support economic, workforce, and community-building activities. Our community members see this play out in the form of hundreds of free concerts offered by , a commitment to increased accessibility to the , and more than $2 million in community health improvement services through the .

When will the University conduct another study?

Farrelman: Since I joined the University in 2005, there have been eight economic impact reports created. I aim to commission a report every couple of years; this one was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but we hope to return to a more regular schedule going forward. They’re a huge undertaking. The data my team and dedicated staff across the University and its affiliates need to collect has become an enormous effort as we have grown into a larger, more complex institution. Plus, it’s an effort we try to align with the University’s strategic planning process, which has a much different creation and implementation period. We aim to commission a new report in 2028–2029.

A Ģ����ý degree does not come easy. Even the brightest, most dedicated students can veer off track or find themselves dangerously overwhelmed. Consider the following hypothetical Ģ����ý students:

• Student A, a first-year, is shocked—and devastated—by their poor performance on a heavily weighted mid-term exam.
• Student B, a sophomore, has spent two semesters exploring a variety of disciplines, despite having declared a major.
• Student C, a junior, is exhausted and increasingly anxious about managing a 20-credit schedule.

Each circumstance could needlessly lead to the student transferring or not graduating. However, with the right support systems and guardrails in place, these situations could largely be avoided altogether. Providing the framework that ensures Ģ����ý students’ success is among the responsibilities of Ģ����ý’s inaugural senior vice provost for academic excellence, Elaine Sia.

Sia, a biology professor, is focused on building and leveraging partnerships across schools and units. Working closely with the faculty, deans, and other senior leadership, she aims to strengthen the quality and impact of Ģ����ý’s academic programs, research, and student success initiatives.

Established by Provost Nicole Sampson in 2025, the new position carries a portfolio that complements the work of John Blackshear, the vice president for student life. Together, Sia and Blackshear give the University a two-pronged approach to improving students’ competency development, academic outcomes, sense of connection, and wellness, as outlined in , the 2030 strategic plan.

January 1 marked one year since Sia was appointed. She joined Joe Testani, the deputy to University President Sarah Mangelsdorf, for a Leadership Conversations webinar to discuss her first year in the role and how she will continue to facilitate an exceptional learning environment.

Here are five takeaways.

Teamwork makes the academic dream work.

At URochester, the shorthand for this concept is “One University,” a collaborative philosophy that undergirds every aspect of the institution’s work, including academic excellence. Sia aims for her team to serve not only as a bridge between student-facing systems (e.g., advising services and the Learning Center) and faculty-facing systems (e.g., the Teaching Center). By cultivating connections among these various offices, the University opens itself to innovative faculty support, more flexible learning pathways, and the creation of more interdisciplinary degrees.

And because this role is University-wide rather than specific to any one school, Sia is working not only to bridge systems, but also to establish a network that facilitates efficiencies and removes barriers.

Having been a faculty member since 2000, Sia is especially well-suited to serve as connective tissue between learning and teaching. However, she’s not looking to make decisions on things like curriculum and policy in a vacuum.

“It’s really helpful when people want to get involved and share their experience and expertise.”

Sia said there’s a big role for faculty to play in this space on committees and working groups, and she encouraged their direct input and feedback, a point she punctuated by sharing her office hours.

Additionally, Sia noted that she and Blackshear have spoken at length about building stronger structural connections between their teams—that could take the form of committees or scheduled check-ins. An example of success here is knowing exactly whom to contact when a student is in trouble.

Sia also discussed her team’s partnership with student life on a new first-year experience course. Sia and her student life partners are putting together a program that creates an established community connecting first-year students with the offices and people who help them to feel comfortable, welcome, and confident that they have what they need to succeed, starting on day one.

Retention and graduation rates are indicators, not goals.

These are numbers Sia thinks about in her sleep, particularly in terms of what the University is getting right and wrong. For example, the reasons a student transfers to a different school tend to be very personal, yet there are also big common factors, such as academic struggles, a lack of a sense of belonging, or not seeing a return on their investments of time and money.

At a time when many families are struggling financially, the value of a URochester education needs to be clear to undergraduate students, many of whom are considering competitor schools and those in the SUNY system.

“We think they’ll know they’re learning all of these wonderful skills as part of a liberal arts education. But they don’t always know.”

Sia wants to bake the value propositions into the curriculum and make them more apparent in the learning process. Another approach to retention is treating the symptom where it lives; here, Sia looks for faculty to provide answers to questions such as:

• Where are students struggling?
• Can we look at curricular modifications or fixes that will help students complete programs more effectively or faster?
• What support can we provide to nurture student success?
• How do we conduct early interventions to get students back on track?

Some interventions might include an advisor helping a student determine whether they have chosen the right path and, if necessary, course-correct.

Sia noted that one of the things she plans to focus on in the coming year is how the University can shine a light on and celebrate the individuals and teams who go beyond showing up and teaching by developing programs and resources that can serve as best practices.

Experiential learning is learning by doing—and more.

Experiential learning is one indicator of success for the strategic plan’s education goal. Ģ����ý aims to ensure that all students have at least two high-impact experiences—such as research, internships, mentorships, or community-engaged learning—that develop practical competencies. Sia noted that she came into this role with great confidence that Ģ����ý students are already averaging more than two. (Some of that confidence came from being the mother of two Ģ����ý alumni.)

The challenge for Sia and her team is building the experiential learning infrastructure that makes “bookkeeping” easier and clearer. To that end, Sia acknowledged the work done to define “experiential learning” before her appointment.

“All we want is to be able say what it means to do experiential learning here, so students can go to employers or grads schools and talk about what they gained from their experiences.”

And here is what they’re saying:

Experiential learning is a dynamic, multi-sensory teaching and learning process where individuals co-design and navigate unique challenges through cycles of trial and error. It reaches beyond traditional lecture and exam formats, blending planned and unplanned elements, encouraging experimentation, embracing uncertainty, and relying upon continuous reflection and adaptation. In effect, participants are “learning by doing.”

That is only one part of how Sia’s team is currently talking about experiential learning. Their comprehensive “definition” includes additional principles: reflection and feedback, an authentic audience, and holistic and transformative growth.

The blandest work is the most critical.

Odds are low that many who attended the webinar did so to hear Sia discuss the University’s adherence to rules and regulations. However, the work she does in this area is critical because it ensures that Ģ����ý can continue to operate as a university and confer industry-recognized degrees.

Early on, Sia briefly touched on accreditation and compliance, highlighting the need to be thoughtful and to plan carefully for how the University will define success for new programs. She noted that thinking has been balanced by several conversations with program directors and department chairs who have creative ideas for new opportunities.

“We are at a moment when people are really thinking about what our students need and what we can give them in this age of AI that they can only get here.”

Regarding accreditation, every eight years, Ģ����ý must reaffirm its institutional accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which was last done in 2024. Accreditation ensures Ģ����ý’s students have access to federal financial aid, researchers have access to federal funding, and the institution’s degrees have credibility.

Sia touched on the Rochester Curriculum and how undergraduate clusters can pose challenges regarding New York State Education Department requirements. Ģ����ý students’ freedom to explore their interests isn’t unlimited. Ultimately, the University must ensure that state-defined standards for knowledge in required domains are being met.

Be vocal. Be engaged. Be enthusiastic.

After a year of analyzing Ģ����ý’s academic landscape and reviewing data, Testani asked what’s on the horizon from a tactical perspective.

Sia offered that her team is working to reduce silos and improve coordination across units, departments, and programs. She specifically called out student advising as an area where she’s looking to develop stronger connections. She would like to see more people reach out to advisors, especially in programs and departments with many students and very specific requirements. In general, her primary tactic is openness and a readiness to meet with any and all faculty and staff looking to solve problems.

Sia also shared a conversation she had with some of her team members. They were discussing the state of higher education and how it has created a time of austerity and, in some ways, a crisis for institutions across the country. It unlocked a deeper issue.

“Something happened to us all during the pandemic that I think has fragmented our community, and in some ways, put a damper on our enthusiasm for our shared endeavor.”

Faculty come to the University for the scholarship, but the students come for the educationa nd experience. They come to be taught and inspired by experts in their fields in a hands-on setting. Sia explained that these interactions have meaningful and lasting effects. That’s why, for her, student-facing spaces need to be a priority. One person or one thoughtful, 10-minute conversation can make an enormous difference in a student’s path, outlook, or connection to URochester.

“I think that’s the key,” Sia said. “We should focus on experiences that make all of our students—master’s, undergrads, PhDs, all of them—feel like this is a place where they can thrive. We need to remember how to love what we do.”

Since 2008, colleges and universities have been on a slow march toward a serious existential threat. It began with the Great Recession, which so thoroughly wracked the economy that many Americans decided to delay having children or not have them at all. Those in higher ed observed that fewer babies in 2008–2012 meant fewer 18-year-olds in 2026–2030, a foreboding that, in the last five or six years, became known as the “enrollment cliff.”

For the better part of the next two decades, the will be competing for a much smaller pool of students. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) provides an annual “student pool” forecast in its report “Knocking at the College Door.” In its (December 2024), the WICHE report says the total number of US high school graduates is expected to peak this year and will decline steadily through 2041.

The cliff is no longer theoretical; it’s a current threat, but Ģ����ý is not in free fall. In a Leadership Conversations webinar, Rob Alexander, the vice provost for enrollment, led a conversation with Joe Testani, the deputy to President Sarah Mangelsdorf, that explored how the University is responding to the decline of this key US demographic. But that’s not the only enrollment challenge Ģ����ý faces. Heidi Marcin, the director of enrollment marketing, and Megan Ryan, the assistant vice provost for enrollment, joined Alexander in the conversation to help cover the gamut of enrollment threats and the strategies the University is employing to counter them.

Here are five takeaways.

Up against serious enrollment headwinds, Ģ����ý is overperforming.

A convergence of enrollment challenges is squeezing universities across the country. The enrollment cliff will unquestionably contribute to a steep drop in the number of college-bound students (over time) at URochester, but so will skepticism about the value of a degree, increased sensitivity to cost, and changes in college-going behavior.

Unpredictable federal policy changes compound the demographic decline. For example, visa and immigration uncertainty has led the US to be a less desirable destination for international students, who help stabilize University revenue. Policies that jeopardize federal research funding is another external challenge as they make it harder for American research-intensive universities like Ģ����ý to compete globally for graduate students.

Alexander shared that despite all that, Ģ����ý is seeing application growth.

“Domestic applications are up about 33 percent versus two years ago. International is up as well.”

In this climate, that’s high-five-worthy data. The headwinds Ģ����ý faces seriously hinder enrollment performance, threatening financial stability (potential tuition revenue loss) and student experience (inability to cultivate a well-rounded student body). And that directly affects how successful the University can be in achieving its goals of providing and generating .

Humility has to give way to bold storytelling.

One of the of Ģ����ý’s brand is “grounded brilliance”—in other words, striking a balance between humility and boastfulness. Ryan noted that finding that “sweet spot” will help the University successfully compete for students as they and their families start to think about college or winnow their preferred institutions. Among the many downstream effects of there being fewer potential students is a zero-sum enrollment landscape—while students are applying to more colleges, they only enroll at one.

Translation: The University has to assert what makes it great.

Ryan emphasized the importance of the strengthened partnership with University Marketing and Communications. Students need to see themselves at URochester, and that requires richer, more personal stories that highlight the value of the Ģ����ý experience. And it needs to happen early in the process, which is a multi-year effort. While the University is actively making decisions for the fall of 2026, it’s already deep into recruitment for fall 2027.

“From the moment they’re connecting with us, we’re talking about the experiences that they’re going to have… and those stories are coming from our marketing and communications partners.”

The enrollment team is also looking to partners across academic departments to create more meaningful connections. Ģ����ý’s faculty is highly accessible for a research-intensive institution, making them one of the University’s most potent and necessary recruitment tools.

New student journeys require a new mindset.

It’s a new day in enrollment marketing. In addition to factoring in what students expect from a university, institutions now need to consider how they’re moving through the search process. Marcin broke this down by highlighting three major shifts.

1. Students are the captains now. There used to be a predictable, linear funnel, where students requested information, and the institution would deliver it in a certain way and at a certain cadence. Now it’s a student-directed journey that has them moving in and out of channels and doing their own research.

“A lot of times, the first contact we have with a student is an application. We call that a stealth applicant, and it’s a growing segment every year.”

2. Parents aren’t side characters. Engaging families is no longer optional as they have become full partners in the decision-making process. And students want them to be. So, communication with and outreach to parents is no longer a courtesy; it’s a strategic imperative.

3. Digital marketing had a glow up. There was a time when a static website and some plain-text emails were cutting-edge. That time is long gone. Students live in a multi-platform, multi-device world, and they expect institutions to meet them there. Execution needs to be seamless.

Ģ����ý is evolving in response by investing in newer tactics like digital advertising and paid search. It’s also engaging in platform-specific, social media storytelling, where student voices are elevated by making them the content creators and allowing them to tell authentic, relatable stories.

Graduate and international enrollment require rethinking.

Going back to the demographic decline, graduate and international student enrollment are now essential stabilizing forces. Alexander made the point that offsetting the effects of the enrollment cliff means that Ģ����ý needs to widen its enrollment strategy—especially at the graduate program level.

Alexander pointed out that, compared to its peers, Ģ����ý has a higher proportion of undergraduates to master’s students, suggesting there’s room to grow across schools. Although individual graduate programs have been recruiting effectively, they’ve done it without the infrastructure and support that a University-wide approach can provide. There’s also great potential for new partnership agreements with domestic liberal arts schools that don’t offer master’s degree programs.

Turning to the international landscape, Alexander noted that Ģ����ý has a strong legacy of enrolling students from across the world.

“China had been the source of the bulk of our international students… but with that single source slowing very precipitously, we’re putting a lot of effort into diversification.”

There’s been notable growth in students from India, South Korea, and Vietnam—in addition to areas beyond Asia—and partnerships are deepening across Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East.

So how can marketing support these efforts? Not without some complexity.

When it comes to graduate students, Marcin noted that they make decisions in a reverse order from their undergraduate peers. Undergraduate students tend to know where they want to go, but not what they want to study, while graduate students are likelier to know what they want to study, but not where they want to do it. That makes paid search and targeted digital outreach essential tactics.

“If graduate students are putting ‘best [program]’ into Google, we want to make sure our programs are coming up.”

Marcin emphasized that ROI, outcomes, and research strength—areas where the University has significant advantages—drive graduate decision-making.

Globally, Marcin pointed to Ģ����ý’s longstanding international identity as an asset. Even as traditional recruitment methods shift and specific markets become more challenging, the University has something many schools lack: a global community ready to help.

Retention is as necessary as attraction.

Nationally, about a third of all college students during their collegiate careers. Keeping Ģ����ý students at Ģ����ý is the most cost-effective way to achieve its enrollment-based goals. Ryan explained that the University is strengthening its internal pipelines.

Ryan noted that students change schools because they’re seeking a stronger sense of belonging. When they don’t find that right away, they become open to transfer conversations. That’s why Ģ����ý has expanded its outreach to students who were previously admitted but chose a different path. It’s a new direction for the University, but one that positions it for strategic recruitment with customized messaging that speaks to where a student is and how the Ģ����ý experience might offer a better fit.

Overall, the University’s retention and transfer strategies go hand in hand. Building a more welcoming, transparent, and supportive transfer experience bolsters Ģ����ý’s position on both fronts.

“We can’t just recruit students to get them here,” Ryan said. “Once they’re here, we have to continue to recruit them and reinforce the value of a URochester education.”

Transdisciplinary research is more than academic jargon—it’s arguably Ģ����ý’s superpower. With world-class resources across the River Campus, the , the , and the —and a community of faculty and students committed to solving humanity’s most complex challenges—Ģ����ý is uniquely positioned to foster innovation and collaboration that can not only reshape existing fields but also create entirely new ones.

To make this vision a reality, in April 2024 the provost’s office launched a first-of-its-kind process to identify teams to receive multi-year funding to establish fully realized transdisciplinary centers. After an anonymous faculty committee selected 10 out of 42 proposals to receive one‑year planning grants, a total of 13 teams submitted comprehensive proposals to be evaluated by faculty, administrators, and more than 60 external reviewers.

Out of this rigorous process emerged four new centers with transformative potential—and a combined $8.5 million investment that drew admiration from the external reviewers themselves. “I can’t overstate what a wonderful idea this is,” said John Aldrich ’75 (PhD), the Pfizer-Pratt University Professor of Political Science at Duke University, when the awardees were announced in June. “The courage and commitment of the leadership team to do something bold in research right now is inspiring.”

SoundSpace
Award: $4 million over five years

By combining strengths across multiple fields, SoundSpace aims to put Ģ����ý
at the frontier of music and technology. Its team—drawn from biomedical and chemical engineering, composition, digital media studies, computer engineering, musicology, and more—will focus on developing a best-in-class hub for research, education, performance, and public engagement. “We have advantages no one else has,” says the center’s lead, ’84 (PhD), a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Center for Extended Reality
Award: $2 million over five years

CXR seeks to awaken the potential of AR/VR by focusing on how we perceive and experience the world. This involves pulling from optics, engineering, natural sciences, humanities, and medicine to develop platforms that create a seamless connection between hardware and user. “The idea is that the person isn’t using the device as much as the device becomes part of the user,” says CXR co-lead , the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics. “I don’t know of any other places this is being done.”

Ģ����ý Resilience Research Center
Award: $2 million over five years

Why doesn’t stress, trauma, and adversity affect everyone the same? Why are some people able to bounce back faster than others? ����³��’s mission is to identify the factors that perpetuate stress-related health issues to develop ways to prevent and even reverse them. “We’re injecting hope,” says , a professor of psychology and ����³�� co-lead. “We’d like to build on existing research to provide optimism and sustainability that hasn’t previously been available to communities facing dire circumstances or families with generations of adversity or trauma.”

Center for Coherence and Quantum Science
Award: $500,000 over two years

Ģ����ý is the birthplace of quantum optics and key elements of quantum coherence. Soon, it may also become the birthplace of the first circuit boards for quantum computers. Combining experts in physics, optics, chemistry, and more, CCQS intends to make the University a major national player in this space. “This is a win-win proposition,” says team lead and Associate Professor of Physics . “The research we’re proposing will have major implications for both understanding how the universe works and harnessing this knowledge for useful technology.”

A version of this story appears in the fall 2025 issue of Rochester Review, the magazine of the Ģ����ý.

David Linehan, the CEO of the , dean of the , and senior vice president for health sciences at the Ģ����ý, is frequently asked how he chose a career in medicine. It’s not something he’s always known (he swears some doctors knew in kindergarten), and he never had some cosmic epiphany. Instead, his decision was steadily shaped by family, school, and Alan Alda.

Linehan received his first doses of healthcare from his mother; she ran a rehabilitation clinic for men addicted to drugs and alcohol, and sometimes—because she was a single parent without alternatives—she brought her son to work. Later, as a high school senior, Linehan had the opportunity to do community service in a small community hospital outside of Boston. Although he was able to see many parts of the hospital, his love of the television war dramedy M*A*S*H drew him to the fast-paced, teamwork-intensive environment of the operating room. The combination of these influences—and 13 years of medical training—set Linehan on a course to become an internationally renowned surgical oncologist.

Before Linehan stepped in to lead the Medical Center in February 2024, he spent a decade as chair of the , specializing in the treatment of cancers and benign conditions of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts. So, when he sat with more than 400 Ģ����ý faculty and staff in a Leadership Conversations webinar, it was only natural for someone to ask, “Do you still operate?”

He doesn’t.

Linehan explained that stepping away from the OR was the hardest part of assuming his current role because he loves being a surgeon. “I came to the conclusion that pancreatic and liver surgery aren’t the kinds of things you dabble in,” he said. “It’s not fair to the patients.”

But he still sees patients and believes maintaining a presence in the clinical world is important for understanding the current challenges care providers face.

The rest of Linehan’s conversation with Joe Testani, the deputy to President Sarah Mangelsdorf, covered a range of issues around his vision for care delivery, research, and education.

Here are five takeaways.

Resilience still needs support.

Recent reports from the , , and the project severe workforce shortfalls across American health systems during the next 10 years. It’s a scary forecast, but Linehan offered reasons to think UR Medicine will weather whatever lies ahead.

Like all other health systems, UR Medicine had the COVID-19 pandemic as a teacher. As tough as that period was, the real strain came after. Burnout was (and still is) real, and it frequently led to turnover. At one point, up to 30 percent of nurses in UR Medicine facilities were temporary or contract staff, creating a dynamic that drained morale. However, Linehan emphasized the staff was (and still is) incredibly resilient and united in their commitment to the people they serve.

“A resilient workforce that feels well-supported is key to achieving our vision.”

Since the pandemic, UR Medicine has turned the tide through a renewed focus on recruitment and retention. Additionally, Linehan highlighted the Medical Center’s , which is delving beneath surface-level pain points to address systemic issues. The goal is to make the work easier. As an example, Linehan offered the implementation of ambient documentation. It’s an AI-based tool that automates note-taking, allowing physicians to spend less time with paperwork and more time with patients.

Linehan underscored the importance of every employee knowing that, no matter their role, they contribute to the level of care UR Medicine provides. When he says, “everyone is a caregiver,” he means it.

Expect to see new training programs, more integration, and AI.

To continuously improve care through research and innovation, as the Medical Center aims to do, Linehan is thinking about where healthcare is headed over the next 10 years and how Ģ����ý can expand its educational footprint to meet it.

Linehan sees a future where the ways we train caregivers will be transformed by artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and competency-based education models that value mastery over time to accelerate training. In the short term, the Medical Center will offer new programs, such as a doctorate in physical therapy and a new certified registered nurse anesthetist as well as additional training pathways for radiology and pathology technologists. Linehan emphasized that education isn’t just for those designated as students.

“Everyone in our workforce is getting educated every day, me included. We want people to come here, learn, and advance their careers. That’s a good way to retain people.”

In general, Linehan wants to see the Medical Center take greater advantage of being an academic medical center. Translating science into clinical care should become routine, and it should start in the Medical Center’s education programs. The integration of AI could change a lot of this. We’re already in a time where care can be delivered semi-autonomously, and we’re heading toward automation. Linehan is thinking of AI as a tool that caregivers use, rather than a caregiver-replacement, citing the use of “Doctor Chat Bot” during the pandemic. It’s a simple example, but an early indicator that AI will fundamentally change how medicine is practiced. Linehan wants the Medical Center to be at the forefront of that shift.

As World War II was coming to an end, it was abundantly clear that universities were sources of critical science and technology. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to fuel American prosperity in peacetime, he turned to his science advisor, Vannevar Bush, who provided the answer in his report, : keep funding basic research and have universities conduct it.

Bush’s report became a blueprint for the modern research university and sparked an entirely new US research ecosystem, including the creation of the (NSF).

Today, universities like the Ģ����ý are trying to find their footing in a vastly different landscape. Federal policies, funding models, and public expectations are pushing universities away from basic research toward economically driven science. In other words, measurable outcomes—such as innovation and national competitiveness—are favored over discovery, which is less predictable but could yield world-changing results.

In his Leadership Conversations talk, Steve Dewhurst, the vice president for research and chief research officer at URochester, offered a frank assessment of the current and continuously evolving climate (shaped by more than 200 executive orders) and how the University is responding.

Here are five takeaways.

1. Major funding challenges loom large.

Indirect or “facilities and administrative” costs are effectively what universities pay for lab maintenance, building utilities, and other infrastructure needs, and they were the first serious pain point Dewhurst called attention to.

Typically, universities recoup indirect costs through a portion of federal grant awards. There’s an expectation that the federal will revise its to cap reimbursements at 15 percent (at least 35 percent less than what was common). If the cap is enforced, Ģ����ý and others would need to absorb tens of millions of dollars in annual costs.

“Our government relations team and others are very engaged in explaining why we think [a 15 percent indirect cost cap] would be a very bad idea, but it’s a possibility.”

Dewhurst speculated on the possible adoption of the , a cumbersome and still fairly costly methodology for indirect cost reimbursement.

A second notable concern is the new National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy of . Previously, multi-year NIH grants were funded year by year, but now, funding is provided in a single lump sum. The result means fewer NIH grants each year. Case in point, Ģ����ý saw its awards go from 41 (2024) to 15 (2025).

Dewhurst also shared data from a showing a 50 percent reduction in overall funding, where not all disciplines lost equally. The point here was that, over the next several years, it will be very difficult to get federal funding in many areas where Ģ����ý has people actively doing research.

2. Ģ����ý will respond with resilience.

Despite the financial and policy turbulence, Dewhurst offered some bright spots worth celebrating, including Ģ����ý joining the prestigious ranks of Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging and a URochester-led STELLAR (Science, Technology, and Engineering of Laser and Laser Applications Research) project being named a finalist in the NSF’s “innovation engines” competition.

Still, many members of Ģ����ý’s research family are stressed, scared, and possibly angry. And many are likely wondering what to do now. Dewhurst gave an unflinching path forward, starting with a call to act with “productive urgency,” a phrase he borrowed from Brené Brown, a research professor of social work at the University of Houston.

“We have to make tough decisions—that’s the nature of the environment we’re in right now. But we need to be intentional about priorities and strategic about what we do.”

He went on to encourage researchers to pull together and keep submitting grant proposals, stressing the need for resilience and that faculty be ready to pivot and go where the funding is.

Graduate students are also feeling the squeeze of the current research ecosystem, mainly through changes in indirect costs mentioned earlier. The University—which spends $10 to $15 million annually on graduate education—is planning to begin charging graduate tuition directly to research grants to sustain these programs, which Dewhurst noted, almost all of Ģ����ý’s peers already do. It’s a move Dewhurst is discussing in great detail with the Faculty Senate, although many details still needing to be resolved. Nevertheless, Dewhurst assured that Ģ����ý is not dropping graduate education.

The Ģ����ý’s partnership with the federal government and bipartisan support from Congress have helped it become one of the nation’s leading research institutions, an economic driver for the region and its largest private employer, and the largest safety-net (serving the uninsured, underinsured, or individuals who may be unable to pay) and healthcare provider in New York state outside of New York City.

The (OGCR) helps maintain this status by developing and advancing Ģ����ý’s state and federal budget, legislative, economic, and regulatory priorities, and by serving as the University’s principal advocate in Washington, DC, Albany, and Rochester.

OGCR works closely with the University community to provide faculty, staff, and administrators with information on current legislation and regulations that affect Ģ����ý at the federal, state, and local levels. They also regularly interact with peer institutions, higher education and medical associations based in Washington and Albany, and scientific coalitions and societies, among others, to advance Ģ����ý’s interests.

In addition to making frequent trips to Washington, the office will bring elected officials and their staff to the University to see its world-class facilities and meet directly with Ģ����ý leaders, researchers, and students.

Unprecedented and uncertain times for higher education, research, and academic medicine have led to the amplification of all these efforts. Joshua Farrelman, the vice president for government relations, answered some questions about the ongoing federal government shutdown, entering its fifth week with no clear path to resolution in sight.

Q&A with Josh Farrelman

What kinds of things was the University doing in the period heading into the budget deadline to prepare for a shutdown?

Farrelman: Before the shutdown our federal relations team was in regular contact with our Congressional delegation. We were urging them to reject proposed cuts and grant eliminations, mitigate the impact of harmful executive orders and agency actions, support the University’s federal priorities, ensure that the government remains open, and come together to reach a bipartisan agreement to finalize fiscal year 2026 annual spending to fund the government. Despite the shutdown, we continue to do this now.

We were also keeping the University community updated on the prospects of a government shutdown, reminding them of what happened in previous shutdowns, and sharing department contingency plans so leaders and departments could prepare as best as possible.

As the shutdown continues, in addition to our Congressional delegation, we are in daily contact with our national associations, including the , , , and several others, to monitor the situation and assess and communicate the impact to our students, researchers, providers, and patients.

In light of the challenges we are facing, we also formed a new Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse regional higher education, healthcare, and business coalition. We regularly meet to share information and to advocate with our Congressional delegation, highlighting the critical impact federal funding and policies have on our institutions and upstate New York.

Now, in the midst of the shutdown, what effects are we currently experiencing and working to mitigate across our research and operations?

Farrelman: While we have experienced shutdowns in the past, this one is different from anything else we have previously experienced.

First, Ģ����ý has been dealing with uncertainty and a constantly shifting federal landscape for nearly a year. The lack of stability and support—paired with financial challenges, including rising costs for labor, healthcare, and supplies—makes weathering the current shutdown that much more difficult.

Additionally, while Congress has not passed any of its annual spending bills, the impact of the shutdown has been administered unevenly across the federal government. Crucial research funding and other aspects of university and healthcare operations are among the collateral damage of any prolonged lapse in federal appropriations.

Fortunately, there is currently a minimal impact on our health system and the patients it serves across upstate New York. Medicare reimbursement should continue to be paid during a lapse in federal appropriations. Still, Medicaid funding will only be sufficient through the first quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Legal authority for some key healthcare programs, like telehealth, have expired, and this has disrupted care and access to those services for some of our patients, particularly for seniors, those with disabilities, and those who live in rural areas. Also, an $8 billion cut to the , which supports safety-net providers, went into effect on October 1, resulting in millions of dollars in losses for the Medical Center if Congress doesn’t act to reverse it.

Despite these challenges, the Medical Center and its affiliates remain committed to preserving access to care for all our patients and communities, and we are taking all necessary steps to minimize disruption to essential services.

What’s happening on the academic side?

Farrelman: Students continue to receive Pell Grants and loans, and institutions will retain access to existing federal funds (campus-based aid). However, borrowers seeking assistance may face delays, and loan forgiveness applications could be affected if the shutdown persists.

The shutdown has further disrupted federally funded scientific research on top of the deep cuts already administered. These cuts are significant because meaningful, effective research is not a spigot that can be turned on and off. It needs strong, sustained funding and support.

During periods of government shutdown, no new grant funding opportunities are announced, and no new grants are awarded. Scientific review panels are delayed or canceled. Program managers and agency staff who are furloughed are not allowed to access their government email, so they cannot communicate about grant programs, active awards, or potential proposals.

Awardees will be able to continue using already awarded funding as long as activities are under the agreed-upon award budget and period, as no extensions or supplements would be processed.

What are the concerns if Congress doesn’t find a way to reach an agreement sooner than later?

Farrelman: During previous shutdowns—partial or otherwise—attempts were made to minimize the impact. However, the longer this shutdown continues, the more federal workers will be furloughed or terminated; the more activities, programs, and grants will be delayed, paused, or outright eliminated; and the more sustained the shutdown’s effects will be on students, faculty, researchers, and our patients.

What are some possible outcomes you’re planning for that might affect students, faculty, and clinicians?

Farrelman: Even if the government were to reopen tomorrow, federal research agencies would need time to get back up to speed, affecting Ģ����ý projects for weeks or even months to come. There will be a significant backlog at federal agencies, so further delays in announcing awards, contracts, or new grant programs are likely. Additionally, agencies will have a reduced timeframe to implement programs and priorities, which could result in short deadlines and tight turnaround times for opportunities that are put forward. Some programs may also be indefinitely delayed or canceled, as agencies lack the capacity to complete all previously planned activities.

We will experience the long-term effects through lost opportunities, delays in potential medical breakthroughs, economic losses, a weakening of national security, the negative message it sends to young investigators, the damage to the overall scientific workforce pipeline, and the harm to US global competitiveness.

Is there anything we, as a University community, are doing or can do to help during this process to support a strong future for research and education?

Farrelman: Part of our job is storytelling and personalizing the impact federal actions have on URochester. If the shutdown is directly affecting your work or the work of a University employee you know, please contact me or a in the Office of Government and Community Relations. We are always looking for examples to share with members of the New York Congressional delegation.