Dear UD Community,

I know many of you continue to experience disruption and anxiety stemming from the recent federal actions and executive orders regarding a multitude of issues — from research funding to education, human rights, and immigration among other areas. As I communicated to the University of Delaware community in my Jan. 28 campus message and my Feb. 3 comments to the Faculty Senate, we will do everything we can to minimize disruption to UD students, faculty and staff while remaining in compliance with federal law.

To support our community, we have created this resource page that will be updated regularly with information for UD students, faculty and staff regarding ongoing federal actions, directives and developments, including guidance in response to changing conditions. Also, this page from the Research Office contains specific guidance related to research projects and grants. In parallel, we will continue to advocate on behalf of the University’s interests regarding any impact that federal or state actions could have on our students, faculty and staff.

One example is our response this week related to the federal action to impose a 15% limit on reimbursements for indirect administrative costs (Facilities and Administrative, or F&A costs) for all National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. This immediate cut in funding would have a devastating impact on all biomedical, health and life science advances and human wellness, including here at UD. In response, the Delaware Attorney General filed a lawsuit jointly with 21 other state attorneys general. The University supported the Attorney General’s lawsuit by submitting a declaration detailing the impact of the NIH rate cap on the institution. Fortunately, the attorneys general were successful, and a temporary restraining order was granted on Monday. Further, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the Association of American Universities, and the American Council on Education announced a similar lawsuit.

As we navigate this rapidly evolving landscape together, our values will continue to be at the heart of our community. We will continue to foster an atmosphere that promotes the free exchange of ideas and opinions; we will continue to welcome and value people of different backgrounds, perspectives and learning experiences; and we will continue to encourage respect and civility toward everyone.

Please know that my leadership team and I are here to help and support our community during this time. Feel free to submit any questions pertaining to these matters here, and we will do our best to add relevant information on the resource pages. I deeply appreciate your resilience and patience as we continue to work together to advance the important mission of our University.

Sincerely,

Dennis Assanis

President