Funding and Drumpf/Devos

[sssettam]

Is anyone else getting worried about the security of funded schools considering the chaos of our current administration?

Funding/stipends for graduate students in science fields was temporarily suspended a couple of weeks ago. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/30/trump-administration-lifts-temporary-freeze-on-epa-grants/?utm_term=.d6a311c4b9dd

Now with Devos heading the Education Department the future looks even bleaker. And with talks of NEA funding getting removed... 

While I'm sure some funding comes from private endowments it seems like much of the funding for state schools would come from the government. Does anyone have deeper insight on the sources of funding and how programs could be affected? Would this be an appropriate question to ask in an interview? 

It sure feels like a weird time to apply to grad schools  

 

[XYZ1234]

Yeah, I'm worrying about this a lot. I'm in the ecological sciences. The republican congress is seeking to make drastic cuts to the budget. Any insight would be appreciated. I think it would also depend on what type of research you're going into. Some fields are going to get hit harder than others. 

[Cengstro]

22 minutes ago, sssettam said:

Is anyone else getting worried about the security of funded schools considering the chaos of our current administration?

Funding/stipends for graduate students in science fields was temporarily suspended a couple of weeks ago. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/30/trump-administration-lifts-temporary-freeze-on-epa-grants/?utm_term=.d6a311c4b9dd

Now with Devos heading the Education Department the future looks even bleaker. And with talks of NEA funding getting removed... 

While I'm sure some funding comes from private endowments it seems like much of the funding for state schools would come from the government. Does anyone have deeper insight on the sources of funding and how programs could be affected? Would this be an appropriate question to ask in an interview? 

It sure feels like a weird time to apply to grad schools  

 

I've been having the same thoughts/concerns. Thank you for starting this thread.

I don't think it would be inappropriate to ask during an interview, however maybe we could get a more informed answer by emailing the dept/grad info email per ea. school? re: sources of funding for a particular program. 

 

[meghanmetier]

Yea I've been meaning to share, folks applying to Iowa, be cautious.  $112m is being cut from the state budget this year, $8m will be cut from the University of Iowa.  Also an anti-union bill is being pushed in the house which could drastically affect graduate students.  The grad student union at UI is concerned grad students may lose their access to insurance, tuition remission, stipend and collective bargaining.  Plus there is the whole issue with the current president, which is a whole other issue that you can ask me to share if you're curious.  

So yea, just be cautious about Iowa.  You may lose the funding that is offered.

Also here is a nice infograph someone compiled relating to the issue on campus at the moment.

 

[Xxanderr]

For art education at the college level, it might be different, which would be more of DeVos jurisdiction. For those of you who don't know, her family awhile ago heavily funded the ArtPrize award so she is very art friendly, like 1.7 million more than Trump.  In 2010, she and her husband also gave $22.5 million to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she had served on the board for the previous six years. Not sure if these a good or bad thing for art education, she does "appear" to be an art lover.  

[TakeruK]

If you are applying to / visiting Earth sciences programs, I think it is a very good idea to ask about the security of future funding. Most likely, the department will have something prepared to say to you during your visit. If not, it could be worrisome. I think you should ask about things like the source of the funding mentioned in your offer letter. If the money is coming from a federal grant, ask the department if they have a backup plan in case future grants aren't there anymore. It's up to you what counts as a satisfactory answer, but for me, I would need to know there is a plan to actually promise me the funding for the full degree program. Some example alternate sources of funding might be private funds, department slush fund, moving people to other RAships that aren't federally funded, TAships, University-level scholarships or some University-level emergency pot of money etc. Probably going to be some combination of these things but if there isn't a plan that ensures 100% of admitted students will have their funding protected, I'd be worried. 

These alternatives aren't going to be fun though. You may have to TA more than originally planned. You might get switched to a different research project that still has funding. And the department will likely accept fewer students in future years to not overextend their emergency funds / TA positions etc. But these might be acceptable things to you. Although this is probably the most anti-science administration we have had for some time, it isn't the first and it won't be the last. If we stay in this field for long enough, there will be other crises like this to weather. So, unfortunately, I think some of the disadvantages of the alternative funding might have to be accepted.

That is, you should definitely ask about their plans and I think you should expect some kind of promise/plan to ensure funding for course of the degree. But it might be too much to hope/expect that there will be no costs to these alternatives.

[sssettam]

Glad I started this discussion. Thanks everyone for your input

I had no idea that DeVos has been art friendly in the past. What a twist. Though it doesn't make me feel less nervous. 

It seems like private universities with funded programs might be the safer bet? Either way I agree it's smart to find out where exactly funding is coming in for each program before deciding. 

I will be sure to post here about any details on the funding sources of certain schools as I learn more. 

 

 

[Cengstro]

Re: Iowa --- op-ed in NYTimes today, ugh:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/opinion/how-iowa-republicans-are-threatening-nurses-teachers-and-poets.amp.html?client=safari