I want to wish everyone a productive and healthy new year as we start the spring semester. A new academic term is an opportunity to assess goals, evaluate ideas for ongoing and future research and scholarship, prepare for performances and exhibitions, develop experience in clinical rotations, and appreciate the energy of new classes and campus events. It’s also a chance for each of us to think about the ways in which we can demonstrate our leadership within our roles as students, faculty, and staff members.

The 2025 calendar year was a historically challenging time for higher education and academic medicine, and I want to thank each of you for your patience and your commitment to our mission as we worked through the year. We followed our strategic plan to align our academic, research, and educational strengths to meet the moment and to advance knowledge, improve clinical care, enhance cultural vitality, and enrich the learning and living experiences of our students.

Not only did we remain strong, but we also marked several notable accomplishments, including the Wilmot Cancer Institute’s designation from the National Cancer Institute, the selection of our four new Transdisciplinary Centers, and the launch of For Ever Better, the most ambitious comprehensive campaign in our history.

Over the past year, our students earned national awards and honors and took top honors at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. Others took part in the first cohort of Burger Chemical Sustainability Scholars to conduct research at the forefront of sustainability. And our fencing club president was invited to compete at the Junior Olympics.

My senior leadership team and I are seeing early signs that the picture for federal research funding in the coming year may be less challenging than 2025, but we must be prepared to adjust as the year plays out. To that end, we will continue the scenario planning and financial modeling that we ramped up last year to help us stay on top of policy changes that affect our research, education, and business operations. One encouraging sign is that just last week, thanks to the tremendous efforts of our federal delegation, Congress approved $111 million for the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, the largest single-year appropriation in the lab’s 50-year history.

We also know that regardless of how the environment for federal funding shapes up, our nation’s political, social, and cultural landscapes remain fractious, and the news from across the country can often be difficult to bear. As is the case with our peer institutions, we continue to evaluate our security and safety protocols, infrastructure, and operations. Since 2024, under the continued leadership of Chief Quchee Collins, we have commissioned University-wide security assessments, and we have already taken steps to enhance the safety of our campus community. That work will continue.

The calendar year 2025 also was a landmark year for our University, as we celebrated our 175^th anniversary and began our centennial celebrations for the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and of Nursing, and for Strong Memorial Hospital. Since our founding in 1850, we have established a legacy of achievement, discovery, influence, and innovation that has made us one of the nation’s leading research universities and academic health enterprises.

In looking ahead to the spring, we can see our leadership continuing across several fields, from next month’s to national recognition to enhance Rochester’s stature in optics and laser science, the biological mechanisms of aging, and our renewed accreditation from the Carnegie Foundation as an institution that demonstrates the best of community engagement. On a longer timeline, the first phase of the Strong Memorial Hospital expansion project is set to be completed in 2027. It’s inspiring to watch the project take shape and to imagine the ways in which the new facility will enhance the work of our Medical Center faculty and staff and contribute to the health and well-being of the Greater Rochester community.

In May, we will celebrate our graduating students during our 176^th Commencement ceremony. Our newest graduates will join an alumni population that is engaged in their professional and personal communities in ways that are shaping a better world and who also recognize the role that their Rochester experiences played in their lives.

As I meet with people on campus and throughout the country, I experience incredible support for and excitement about our future. We have seen that energy in the fundraising momentum of the For Ever Better campaign as well as in the number of alumni and friends who are offering to volunteer, serve as mentors, help students and alumni build their networks, and engage in a community that believes we can make a better world by helping one another.

All of which gives me great optimism — for the coming semester, the new year, and the future of our remarkable URochester.

Meliora,

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

The post A New Semester Brings Opportunity and Excitement appeared first on Office of the President.

When members of the Ģą˝´«Ă˝ community ask me what the future holds for the institution, I often remind them of the deep history of research and academic leadership, technological innovation, and optimism that runs through our legacy. We can find many lessons for our future in the story of our founding and in the 175 years of institutional achievement that we are celebrating this year.

While we have no shortage of incredible stories of success since we admitted our first students in 1850, we have also risen to face challenges. We have seen wars and pandemics, economic turmoil, and fluctuations in public and political support for research universities and academic medical centers.

In good times and bad, our answer has always been to invest in our strengths: our people, our ideas, and most of all, each other. We have proven that by creating opportunities for talented and curious people—from all walks of life and from all over the world—to pursue ideas, ask challenging questions, share their histories and perspectives, and engage as partners with communities near and far, we can make a better world for generations to come.

The list of the ways in which we have shaped the economic, social, and physical well-being of people close to campus and across the globe is long, but allow me a few examples:

Our leadership in vaccine research and technology at the Medical Center has, for all practical purposes, eradicated a form of meningitis that was once a scourge of childhood. At the Eastman School of Music, we combined conservatory training and musical education in ways that made us an internationally recognized home for performance.

And at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, we regularly harness the interaction of matter and light to advance technologies that drive the digital revolution, model the interiors of distant planets, and may power sustainable energy for the future.

As we look to our next 175 years, we are making ambitious plans, knowing that we must be strategic in our decision-making and nimble in our actions. We are ready for challenges in the months and years ahead, but we are investing in our founding missions, work that demonstrates our responsibility to serving the greater good.

At Meliora Weekend this fall, we launched our largest and most impactful comprehensive campaign. For Ever Better: The Campaign for the Ģą˝´«Ă˝ promises to elevate our research and clinical enterprises; provide a new level of support for our students, faculty, and staff; transform many campus facilities; and extend the reach of our Meliora spirit in ways that engage and celebrate our campus, alumni, and global constituencies.

The campaign echoes our long-standing tradition of working together to build something larger than any single individual. While the history books tell the stories of generous philanthropists who helped shape our institution, they also report the outpouring of support from members of the community: the janitor who helped lead the first commencement parade through downtown Rochester, the local restaurant Eddie’s Chop House listed near George Eastman’s name in the 1924 roster of donors who helped establish the River Campus. And, of course, the story of Susan B. Anthony, who canvassed the city in the late 1800s to ensure support for coeducation.

They committed themselves to creating an institution and a way of thinking about the future that resonates well beyond Rochester.Ěý

As I have met with alumni, parents, friends, and volunteer leaders, I have experienced the excitement and energy for Ģą˝´«Ă˝ and what we can accomplish. I am grateful for that engagement, and I appreciate the willingness of every member of our academic community to share their story of our institution’s impact and influence.

We are each a steward of our future, and I am looking forward to joining everyone as we invest in the next chapter of our remarkable Ģą˝´«Ă˝ story.

—Rochester Review, Fall 2025

The post For Ever Better: Investing in Our Future appeared first on Office of the President.

We want to share information about potential impacts that University operations may see as a result of the government shutdown that went into effect at midnight, October 1. The University’s leadership team has been evaluating the possibility of such an impasse for several weeks but, as has been the case with past shutdowns, the full effect will depend on the duration of the shutdown, negotiations that may take place between members of Congress and the Administration, and how federal agencies develop and implement their contingency plans.

We know that the news of a shutdown can create uncertainty, and as leaders, we are committed to minimizing disruptions as much as possible. All of which means we will need to be patient as the contours of the current situation become clear.

We are working with our Congressional delegation, agency sponsors, and national associations, including the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and others, to monitor and assess what the shutdown means for us as an institution and as a community. We will share updates as we learn more about the impacts to our students, researchers, providers, and patients.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued instructions to all federal agencies last week regarding their contingency plans. The plans for each agency will be available on their respective websites.

We are working with our colleagues to prepare guidance for faculty, staff, students, and patients on steps our programs may need to take in response to the shutdown and other steps for moving forward. The Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA), which provides administrative support for most of the University’s externally funded research, is also sharing information for researchers on its website.

Our hope is that the shutdown can be resolved quickly and in the best interests of our missions and those we serve. While the shutdown is disappointing, we are confident that as a University community, we will demonstrate leadership, collegiality, and patience in serving our missions and in supporting one another.

Sincerely,

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

David C. Linehan
CEO, UR Medicine, and Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry

Nicole S. Sampson
Provost and University Professor

Elizabeth (Liz) Milavec
Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer

The post Impact of Government Shutdown on University Operations appeared first on Office of the President.

I am excited about the start of the 2025–26 academic year at the URochester and I hope all of you are too. For all of us, the beginning of an academic year promises new friends and colleagues, new research projects and learning opportunities, new accomplishments and new challenges.

Over the past week, we welcomed our newest class of undergraduate students and their families as they arrived from all over the world. Together, we helped students move into residence halls and took part in activities, receptions, ceremonies, and other events that kick off the school year. Similarly, we introduced some of our newest graduate students, faculty members, leaders, and staff as they joined our departments, research programs, and clinical teams.

The , and I am grateful that we take time to celebrate the people of our University. I hope that such energy sets the stage for a productive and meaningful year as you pursue your academic, professional, and personal goals.

We are in a transitional period for higher education and academic medicine. As we move forward with our ambitious plans to become the institution that we want to be, our University, like our peers across the country, faces challenges. For example, in response to new federal directives issued during the first half of 2025, my senior leadership team has worked hard to monitor and plan for disruptions to our research funding, international admissions, and campus climate, as well as worked to ensure that our business and financial operations are as efficient as possible.

We expect similar challenges in the months ahead, but we are prepared to meet them in ways that focus on protecting our people and our missions and in ways that demonstrate our positive impact on our communities. Thanks to the work that we began more than three years ago to create our strategic plan, we have positioned ourselves to navigate potential difficulties while also investing in our commitments to advance knowledge in ways that contribute to the greater good.

Over the summer, we selected four innovative, research-based initiatives that bring together some of our institutional strengths across multiple disciplines to create new transdisciplinary centers. The centers are part of our institutional DNA as a collegial research community in which faculty members engage with colleagues from across the institution to follow ideas, explore avenues of study, and create new research and teaching pathways for future students, scholars, and scientists.

Similarly, we are investing in a comprehensive marketing and branding initiative to better tell the story of our institution. We need to proudly share our groundbreaking research, exceptional educational experiences, boundless curiosity and creativity, world-class clinical care, and breathtaking artistry. As part of this evolution, our brand strategy will introduce core elements — both visually and verbally — that bring to life our identity as a community that inspires wonder and celebrates our human connections.

And, at next month’s Meliora Weekend, we will launch the largest comprehensive campaign in the University’s history. For Ever Better: The Campaign for the Ģą˝´«Ă˝ represents our most impactful strategic investment, one that promises to elevate our research and clinical enterprises; provide a new level of support for our students, faculty, and staff; transform many campus facilities; and extend the reach of our Meliora spirit in ways that engage our campus, alumni, local, and global communities.

Our University community has demonstrated their belief in our work by supporting us with three straight years of record fundraising — a further display of investment in our potential to change the lives of everyone with whom we engage. That extraordinary support is emblematic of the excitement for the future of our institution that greets me when I talk with alumni, volunteers, and campus and institutional leaders.

That optimistic outlook has been a hallmark of our 175-year history. Since 1850, we have established a remarkable legacy of excellence, achievement, and innovation, and we have demonstrated an incredible history of commitment to our missions, our people, and our values. I want to thank each of you for contributing to our success and for supporting each other.

I wish everyone the best as we set out on what I am confident will be a very important year in the life of our University.

Meliora,

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

The post Celebrate the Promise of a New Academic Year appeared first on Office of the President.

We’re writing to follow up on the news that President Trump has signed the federal budget reconciliation bill that will have significant impacts on health care and higher education, including our University and our academic health care system. We want to share initial perspectives on the legislation and invite faculty and staff to a webinar next week where we will discuss some of the implications for the University.

Much of the new legislation will not take effect until 2026 at the earliest, and we are working to evaluate its many provisions, timelines, and policies, along with our ongoing review and planning around pending litigation and existing and potential federal actions related to it.

Earlier this year, we established working groups that have been monitoring — and, where possible, adjusting for — changes that affect funding and policies for research, clinical operations, international admissions, and policies that affect our ability to recruit and develop an inclusive University community. Those teams meet regularly and have done important work to date and will continue their efforts on our behalf.

In the meantime, we invite you to join us for a webinar from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16, where we will share with faculty and staff the impacts of the bill as they’re being assessed. Details on how to join the webinar will be shared in @Rochester.

We ask for your patience as we evaluate the new legislation. Despite the uncertainty that we have faced this year, members of our University community have focused on doing the important work of serving our many constituencies, guided by our Meliora values; we thank everyone for your commitment and dedication to our missions and to supporting one another.

Sincerely,

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
University President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

David C. Linehan
CEO, UR Medicine, and Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry

Nicole S. Sampson
Provost and University Professor

The post University operations and federal reconciliation bill appeared first on Office of the President.

As a third-generation professor and researcher, I have always been proud to make my professional home in academic communities like the URochester.

Over the course of my life and career, I have seen firsthand the extraordinary roles that research universities and academic medical centers play in the economic, social, and physical health of our country. As a scholar myself, I’m proud of my contributions and those of my colleagues to the research, scholarship, and teaching of psychology.

And as a parent and family member, I’m grateful for the life-changing clinical care and medical advancements that have been made possible by the research endeavors of Rochester and those of our peers across the country.

As a research university, Rochester embodies a significant human-centered investment in the lives of our many communities. All of us who have been touched by the University should be proud to be part of such an outstanding institution and the incredible faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends who shape it. We each carry the story of Rochester with us as we make our way in the world.

I have been thinking a lot about the story of Rochester over the past few years. Partly, that’s a function of a confluence of historical milestones.

As I’ve written before, the year 2025 marks the 175th anniversary of our founding in 1850. We will also celebrate the centennial this year of our Medical Center, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the School of Nursing. Over the past few years, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Eastman School of Music and Eastman Theatre, and in 2029 we’ll celebrate the centennial of the Institute of Optics.

In just that single paragraph, we are reminded of a legacy of leadership in scientific discovery, technology, clinical treatments and care, cultivation of the arts and culture, creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and so much more—all grounded in a collegial community that changes the lives of our students, patients, and community members in ways that few institutions can.

I have also been thinking about our Rochester story as it has become evident that our social compact with those who are less familiar with our work as a research university is not as strong as it should be.

Members of my senior leadership team and I are troubled that Rochester—and many university communities—may be seen as out of touch with the concerns of the country at large.

I hope that everyone who has engaged with our University can tell a different story about Rochester. It begins with our contributions to advancing knowledge, developing treatments and cures, contributing to workforce development, leading technological innovation, buttressing artistic and cultural vibrancy, and enhancing the resilience and well-being of our communities.

Universities like Rochester exemplify the investments that the United States made in funding research that began during World War II. Our nation’s unique model of partnership between federal agencies and leading research universities has positioned the United States as the worldwide leader in research and development.

Our story continues in our belief in the nation’s ethos that everyone deserves an opportunity to advance as individuals, citizens, and leaders. Grounded in Rochester’s historic spirit of civic leadership, we are committed to the idea that the best way to advance our missions of education, research, and health care is to welcome talented individuals with a broad range of perspectives and experiences to bring their authentic selves to our institution.

We firmly believe that our differences make us stronger and enhance our excellence, while also believing that we are one team with common goals.

We are enhancing the ways in which we share our story across the landscape of higher education. Our strategic plan is charting our future work as leaders and innovators. The plan defines our priorities, helps put our values into action, and outlines investments in our strengths. In all, it reflects our stewardship of an incredible institution.

We also are embarking on our first long-term, comprehensive marketing initiative, designed to reach not just prospective students, but also influential leaders across many fields and regions.

I hope each of you is happy to share your story of how Rochester has shaped your personal and professional life as you interact with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Our reputation as a University community—in which we work to make ourselves and the world around us better—rests with each of us. We are all examples of Meliora.

We are also stewards of an incredible institution and legacy. Our University has thrived for 175 years. We are confident that we will overcome any challenge we face by remaining true to our values-centered commitment to our mission and to our people.

—Rochester Review, Spring 2025

The post Now Is the Time to Share Our Rochester Story appeared first on Office of the President.

We are writing to share important updates designed to more clearly articulate that University policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, or religion in violation of federal law.

These updates stem from recent executive orders that have reframed employer and federal contractor obligations regarding non-discrimination in all phases of employment. Similarly, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a major source of research funding for our institution, has recently directed federal grant recipients to certify that they do not maintain programs or initiatives that conflict with federal anti-discrimination laws.

For these reasons and to reflect our ongoing commitment to compliance with non-discrimination laws, we have updated and retitled Policy 102 as the “Non-Discrimination in Employment Policy,” and we have updated our Equal Opportunity statement in our Workplace Values and Equal Opportunity Policy, and in other relevant policies and communications.

As we announce these updates, we want to be clear on two important points:

• Our compliance with federal anti-discrimination policy is long-standing and covers all University activities and operations, including employment and educational programming. All of us who work here are subject to and protected by the obligation to avoid any illegal discrimination.
• We remain committed to being a University community that welcomes students, faculty, staff, patients, alumni, and other stakeholders regardless of their sex, race, color, national origin, or religion. We will pursue lawful, mission-driven approaches that strengthen connection, mutual respect, and a supportive environment for faculty, staff, and students.

We also will not forget our history as a nation; we have Rochester’s historic advocates and reformers to thank for leading changes in how our country understands opportunity for all people. In their spirit, we remain driven to support our community.

The Office of Human Resources will soon provide relevant information to leaders and hiring managers that address related updates to processes and workflows.

Thank you for your continued leadership and dedication to the University’s mission.

Sincerely,

Sarah Mangelsdorf
University President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

David Linehan
Medical Center CEO, Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry

Nicole Sampson
Provost and University Professor

Adrienne Morgan
Vice President for University Engagement and Enrichment

Liz Milavec
Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance

Kathy Gallucci
Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

The post Update on Non-Discrimination Policies appeared first on Office of the President.

We’re writing to continue our series of communications about the ways in which evolving federal policies are affecting higher education and academic medicine.

As we’ve seen at our peers across the country, our University also needs to take steps to address important financial challenges. We know that the uncertainty we all see playing out nationally is creating anxiety within our own University community, but we must work together during this period of rapid change to prepare for a wide range of financial circumstances. We will do our best to provide as much helpful information as we can, but until the federal budget is finalized, we can’t complete many aspects of our normal, annual planning processes.

Our current uncertainty extends to several pending federal policy changes affecting our funding sources, including potential reductions to research funding, possible adjustments to Medicare and Medicaid programs, and potential expansion of taxes on university endowments. Our Finance team is working diligently on contingency plans to ensure we can continue fulfilling our mission to learn, discover, heal, create, and make the world ever better—regardless of how these external factors unfold.

As we prepare our budget outlook for the rest of this fiscal year and going into FY26, we are immediately implementing four, University-wide steps. For our Medical Center colleagues, please note that CFO Adam Anolik has already provided specific guidance addressing the budget challenges our health system is facing. In addition to the University-wide measures outlined below, Medical Center units should continue following Adam’s direction.

University-wide steps include:

1. Mission-critical activities will be prioritized, while discretionary budgets and expenditures (nonessential travel, social events, catering, entertainment, etc.) will be limited. Even small savings across departments can collectively make a significant difference as we navigate this period.
2. Prior authorization and approval in myURHR are required before proceeding with any recruitment for new or replacement positions. This policy has been in place since myURHR went live. Please work with your HR Business Partner to ensure this process is followed.
3. Adhere strictly to our Signature Authority Policy for all contracts. All multiyear financial commitments require advance review from the University’s senior financial leadership.
4. It is also essential that all divisions review existing capital commitments for the remainder of FY25 and initial budgeted capital for FY26 and reassess which projects can be deferred or put on an extended timeline. The FY26 budget planning work underway will include a comprehensive reassessment of all capital renewal projects, with particular emphasis on applying rigorous review to any new multiyear commitments.

These measures will remain in place as we evaluate our financial position and determine whether additional steps are necessary. We are not yet in a position to fully analyze this year’s wage and salary program, but we hope to provide a more complete picture sometime soon.

It’s important to remember that as the University navigates federal policy changes, we’re actively defending our missions through multiple channels, including joining with other research university peers and with several leading higher-education organizations in legal actions against federal funding agencies to challenge proposed caps on facilities and administrative cost reimbursements. So far, we have been successful in getting orders to stop those proposed cuts while litigation works its way through the courts. As we receive termination notices for individual grants, we will evaluate each one for appeal.

We want to thank our government relations team for their diligence in keeping us apprised of federal policy proposals and changes, and we want to thank our teams in the Provost’s Office, Research, the Medical Center, Finance and Administration, Student Life, International Services Office (ISO), General Counsel, Advancement, and many others who have worked tirelessly to understand new policies, take action where necessary, and develop scenarios on short notice.

Despite the challenges that we face, we’re proud that our University community continues to achieve excellence.

Our Wilmot Cancer Institute recently earned the prestigious National Cancer Institute designation, placing it among the top 4% of cancer centers nationwide; we continue to see great support and engagement among our alumni volunteers and leaders who are excited about our future; and our faculty members and students across the institution continue to earn national recognition (e.g., , Guggenheim, , and PECASE honors, as well as Churchill and Goldwater scholarships).

These successes, among many others, exemplify our continued pursuit of our strategic plan even while addressing the federal policy changes described in our recent updates.

We hope to be able to provide a more definitive picture soon, but for now, we simply don’t know enough about what may lie ahead to address all the concerns you may have. Thank you for your patience and for your commitment to our mission as we navigate our current environment. We appreciate your partnership as we all take steps to safeguard our financial resources and face these challenges with the collaborative spirit that has always defined our University.

Meliora,

Liz Milavec
Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

The post Stewardship of our Financial Resources appeared first on Office of the President.

For the second time in two months, the , higher education organizations, and several peer institutions in asking a federal court to prevent one of our most significant public research partners from unilaterally imposing an across-the-board cap on negotiated funding rates, severely affecting our research mission.

With the AAU as the lead petitioner, we are joining Brown University, California Institute of Technology, Cornell University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Princeton University in filing suit against US Department of Energy (DOE). The agency announced on Friday, April 11, that it was both implementing a 15% cap on what are known as Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs and undertaking separate action to terminate grant awards.

The DOE announcement threatens to jeopardize our institutional leadership in fusion, high-energy-density physics, laser science and technology, and the physical sciences, as well as our efforts in workforce development for Rochester’s photonics and optics industries. Reducing the F&A reimbursement rate to 15% represents about $25 million in annual DOE funding to the University.

We see the DOE announcement as an arbitrary violation of regulatory obligations and as a breach of contractual agreements negotiated in good faith with the agency. More importantly, the cap would almost immediately cause severe disruption to the research programs of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics as well as programs in the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, the School of Arts & Sciences, and other operations of the University.

While the DOE litigation plays out, we expect that members of our University community will receive notifications regarding their support—potentially including termination or cancellation notices. Anyone who is contacted by DOE about their grants should share the information with Anthony Beckman, interim associate vice president for research and project administration, in the Office of Research Project Administration at abeckman@ORPA.Rochester.edu.

We have also published updated FAQs regarding the DOE announcement.

International Community
Also in recent days, we have learned that students, scholars, and staff from Afghanistan and Cameroon who were in the United States through a temporary protection program administered by the Department of Homeland Security may now face deportation, beginning May 20. On Friday, April 11, the department announced that the programs were ending, putting the immigration status of people in the programs in jeopardy.

The announcement follows updates from last week, in which we shared the news that federal authorities had begun to revoke—without communication with the University—the student visas and legal status of some of our students and scholars. This included the revocation of visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders across the country, which impacted members of our community.

We want to reiterate that the staff of the International Services Office (ISO) are proactively monitoring the visa status of members of the University community. Staff from ISO and Student Life programs are reaching out to those we know to be impacted to connect them with resources to evaluate the best enrollment and legal options. Please see ISO’s updated travel and visa guidance.

Legal Updates
As we told you in February, we joined a suit asking a federal court to block a proposed 15% cap proposed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Thanks to the legal efforts of the AAU, higher education policy organizations, and 22 state attorneys general, the NIH was permanently while an appeal from the federal government is litigated. Like many of our peer institutions, we are also preparing appeals of funded awards which have been recently terminated or canceled by NIH.

With both petitions, we are taking legal action because the scientific, clinical, and technological leadership of the United States is the result of an incredibly productive partnership among federal agencies, public and private universities, and scholars, clinicians, and students across the country. As engaged citizens, we appreciate that our compact with funding agencies may need to be reviewed, but we believe the best way to do that is through conversation as colleagues and partners who want to continue to lead the world in research and discovery.

Our team in Government and Community Relations will continue to work with our elected representatives, leading policy organizations, and peers across the country to monitor federal directives and executive orders and will keep senior leaders informed of the latest updates.

I want to thank everyone for your patience and for your commitment to our institutional goals as we work to understand the effects of this year’s federal directives. I’m confident that our values and our belief in our mission—and in one another—will help us overcome challenges as we face them.

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

The post Energy Department Funding Cuts and Updates for International Community appeared first on Office of the President.

We are writing to share that the University is taking immediate action to support our international students and scholars who in recent days have begun facing actions by federal authorities that jeopardize their status as members of our academic community. As has been the case at other institutions of higher education, we have learned that the visas and other legal status of a number of students and recent graduates have been revoked.

We are deeply troubled by the escalation of immigration enforcement activity toward our international students—actions that were taken without communication with the University.

As of early this week, we know that five current Rochester students and six recent graduates have had their student visas revoked. And of those eleven, nine have had their records terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), maintained by the Department of Homeland Security.

We are committed to helping students, faculty, and staff navigate the uncertainty caused by the new immigration enforcement, working to help provide resources to affected individuals as well as to those who are anxious about their immigration status.

As part of our efforts to prepare for and respond to this year’s executive orders and federal directives, we have established a set of University-wide working groups to prepare for this kind of scenario. As part of that scenario planning focused on immigration:

• The staff of the International Services Office (ISO) are proactively monitoring the SEVIS database multiple times a day to monitor our students’ legal status.
• ISO staff are immediately reaching out to impacted students to connect them with resources to evaluate their best enrollment and legal options.
• In partnership and collaboration with University Student Life and academic support units, ISO is also standing by to provide resources to international students and scholars who may have questions or concerns.

Given the current complexities and uncertainties of the immigration environment, ISO strongly encourages careful consideration of potential risks before finalizing any international travel plans. Please see ISO’s updated travel and visa guidance.

To further support our community, we have published FAQs regarding U.S. Immigration (ICE) Enforcement. The resource compiles advice to help guide students should a federal law enforcement agency contact you regarding the enforcement of immigration laws. While this guidance is not a substitute for legal advice, we hope it will be valuable to many in our community who are seeking information and support on this important topic.

In addition, we are working in close partnership with our national associations. The American Council on Education, along with 15 higher education associations, this week to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requesting a briefing to better understand agency “policy and planned actions relative to international students and scholars.”

We want to reiterate that our University is deeply enriched and strengthened by our international students, faculty, and staff. We have a long legacy of welcoming students and scholars from all over the world, enrolling our first international students three years after our founding in 1850.

We take great pride in the accomplishments of our students and what they go on and do with their lives. Just as an example, so far, in the 21^st century, four of our alumni have won Nobel Prizes, and two of them were international students. Of those two, Canadian-born Donna Strickland (Nobel 2018) won for her research as a graduate student here under the direction of faculty member Gerard Mourou, a French-born and educated laser scientist. And at the highest leadership level, our Board of Trustees has benefited from the perspectives of our alumni board members born or educated outside the United States.

There is absolutely no question that we would not be the university we are without our international students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

We will continue to keep you updated on developments as we work to ensure our international students and scholars have the resources and support they need. As we collectively continue to negotiate the challenges and uncertainty confronting our institution from the federal government, we want to thank everyone in our community for your commitment and perseverance. By remaining true to our values and pursuing our mission, we can and will move forward.

Sincerely,

Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor

Nicole S. Sampson
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
University Professor of Chemistry

The post Updates, Support, and Resources for Our International Community appeared first on Office of the President.