Dear Members of the University Community,
As our senior leadership team continues to evaluate an unprecedented number of Presidential Executive Orders and directives from federal agencies, we understand the concerns shared by many in the University community. We recognize that the decision-making coming from Washington, DC, can be distracting as we strive to achieve our academic, professional, and institutional goals, and that the uncertainty in our current environment creates significant anxiety. We aim to provide, to the best of our ability, an understanding of how we are moving forward in this context.
We want to emphasize how fluid and uncertain the current legal and regulatory environments are. Numerous Executive Orders and federal directives are currently on hold while legal challenges are resolved, including a lawsuit concerning NIH funding in which the University has agreed to participate (see Science article). Other directives, such as the February 14th announcement from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights regarding the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education, are advisory letters that do not carry the force of law. This too has been challenged legally (see Associated Press article).
As an institution that must comply with federal, state, and local laws, we need to take prudent steps to ensure that Rochester is ready to respond effectively as directives are clarified over time. To that end, we have established a set of University-wide working groups tasked with evaluating the potential implications of the Executive Orders and confirming that our programs operate within the boundaries of the law. The working groups will report their findings to an executive team to enable consistent decision-making and communication. We are also modeling various financial scenarios in case we ultimately experience reduced federal research funding.
We want to be clear that at this early stage, we are not asking programs or units to alter their programs or the descriptions of their programs. However, if legal obligations require us to adapt or make changes, we will keep you informed. Our initial step is to gain a comprehensive and robust understanding of our operations, ensuring that we are prepared to respond effectively and clearly to our new environment.
We recognize that a key concern is how we will continue our long tradition of being a welcoming and diverse academic community. We remain dedicated to making decisions that align with our values. These values include our belief that the best way to advance our missions of education, research, and health care is to invite exceptional and talented individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to bring their authentic selves to our institution and to welcome them into our community. We firmly believe that our differences make us stronger and enhance our excellence, while also believing that we are one team with a common goal: to create and impart knowledge, promote health, alleviate suffering, and positively impact the world through innovative research.
We want to emphasize that we are not alone in navigating this complex situation. We regularly communicate with fellow university presidents and academic medical center leaders across the country. Additionally, each member of the senior leadership team is collaborating closely with their peers and colleagues in the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and other academic and educational policy organizations to better understand and analyze the directives.
The leaders of our Office of Government and Community Relations maintain regular communication with our federal elected representatives, federal policymakers, and national organizations to highlight the roles that Rochester and other research universities and academic medical centers play in the economic, social, and physical health of our country. We are also in contact with New York State leaders to ensure they understand how—and can respond to—federal measures that may jeopardize our ability to deliver the critically important services we provide to the people of the region and state, particularly in health care.
This is a time for each of us to be steadfast advocates for higher education and academic medicine. Every day, we witness the numerous ways our faculty, staff, and students contribute to the greater good, and we should take pride in sharing our story. As a research university, Rochester embodies a significant human-centered investment in the future of our various communities.
We are stewards of an incredible institution and legacy. Our University has thrived for 175 years, overcoming numerous challenges. We are confident that we will face each challenge today with our values-centered commitment to our mission of making the world ever better.
Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor
David C. Linehan
CEO, UR Medicine; Senior Vice President for Health Sciences; Dean, School of Medicine and Dentistry