What now & what’s next in science and higher ed

This newsletter is my part of an ongoing conversation among colleagues who’ve had a rough week. I share two or three pieces of the puzzle that feel the most important, hazard a guess about what to expect next, and offer at least one useful thing to do.

MEETING THE MOMENT: 2025-06-06

Hello friends,

I’ve hated the news this week. Refreshing my feeds feels terrible: so does ignoring them. As I sit down to write this, I’m waiting to find out whether my state is going to be the latest targeted to lose all federal grant funding. ICE is using flash-bang grenades on our communities, and the girls are fighting, to put it lightly. I don’t know what comes next, I don’t believe anyone who says that they do, and I find it all profoundly unsettling.

I’m unsettled, and it makes it harder to focus. I need to focus because my to-do list is long. That length makes prioritizing it an even more urgent task. It also makes it a more difficult one, so I need a longer stretch of time to dedicate to it. Which is hard because my calendar is packed, so it’s hard to find the time for that, much less all the new tasks I keep spawning. The last thing I want is yet another meeting on my schedule, and yet I can’t stop thinking about the big strategy meetings I’m not invited to. It’s a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel.

I hesitate here, because I know I’m complaining. It makes me self-conscious because I know how lucky I am that this is what I have to complain about. I’m complaining, but I suspect you’re dealing with some of the same things, and that makes it worth talking about what to do about it.

This is week 20, let’s take a deep breath, catch up, and figure it out together.

What’s happening now

• I’ve been absorbing the analysis of what the proposed budget would mean for science and higher education. So far, the bill (just barely) passed in the House, is now with the Senate, and will almost certainly get sent back to the House with changes. Congress is using a special process called budget reconciliation to expedite the process, and Congressional leaders are trying to reach a resolution before a self-imposed deadline of July 4. It sure seems like it’s going to get even messier. In any case, I encourage you to do some self-directed reading about the parts of the government that most impact your science. Start with this high-level summary. As I worked my way through what it means for the NIH ($11.6 billion less for research grants than in 2025, plus that 15% cap on indirects)  and NSF (a 94.1% reduction in funding for postdocs), I also kept reminding myself that the total proposed budget for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities is zero dollars. This budget would entirely eliminate so much, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which is being dismantled right now. This is untenable.
• On Wednesday, the Education Department issued a news release exerting pressure on Columbia’s accrediting agency, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. This is the next step in a Project 2025 strategy, one that the president has described as a “secret weapon” against universities. Accreditation is critical - without it, enrolled students are ineligible for federal student financial aid funding. 21% of Columbia undergraduates receive Pell grants.
• The National Academies hosted its second annual State of the Science address. E&E News headlined its coverage, “National Academies president plays it safe.” Ars Technica’s went with, “Facing an extreme budget, the National Academies hosted an event that ignored it.” These are kinder assessments than most I’ve seen. I’m similarly leery of the positive spin the NAS is putting on this administration’s interest in deregulation. I do not see how overburdened PIs are going to be better off when they have no grant funding and no support staff, but more AI to “help” with paperwork.  
• You know what, though? Today, Maine announced that it has recorded its highest ever immunization rate for K-12 students - 97% have their required childhood vaccinations! Congratulations to all the public health officials, the policymakers, and the families who have protected all those kids.

What’s next & what to do

It’s PRIDE, even if the vibes are off. (So badly off.) I’m holding friends, family, and colleagues close this year, especially our beloved trans folk. If you’re not already involved, I encourage you to figure out one small thing you can do. Read the page we’ve built at Unbreaking on trans healthcare, for example. There’s so much to learn. Figure out what you need to do to connect with the people working to make your campus and local community safer and less alone.

If you don’t know where to start, try your local library! Public libraries are a powerful piece of civic infrastructure. You may not have access to the same amazing resources I have, but you might be surprised how much influence your attention and support can have, even - and perhaps especially - if your library is building from the ground up. One of my big personal goals for the summer is to help the science community make common cause with our librarian colleagues. Together, we can strengthen and expand the public institutions that we value and need so badly.

This summer, we need to get out of our heads and into coalition, into action, and into the streets.

No matter what fresh hell tomorrow brings, it’s better if we face it together.

Liz