Category: Archive Page 8 of 9

The first day of 2014 was a good news day for the Office of Federal Relations.  We woke up to a nice profile highlighting OFR and our efforts to advocate for policies that are good for Duke faculty, students, and staff.  Our colleagues from that other school down the road got some nice press too.

Check it out!

Duke, UNC Keep a Sharp Eye on Washington

The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions recently hosted their first Washington Forum on emerging issues in deep-sea policy. The event brought a panel of experts to the Duke in Washington office to discuss everything from the history behind the United States’ involvement in deep sea mineral exploration to international governance challenges involving the ocean.

Below, Linwood Pendleton, director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute, talks about the gathering.

DiW: For those that are unaware, what are the major emerging issues in deep sea governance?

LP: Interest in exploiting deep sea resources is growing and conservation organizations are trying to keep up. New technologies have opened up the deep sea bed to mining. The first deep sea mine will  likely go into production off the coast of Papua New Guinea within the next few years. Such a mine would offer a new source for copper, manganese, gold, and rare earth minerals, which are necessary for modern devices including smart phones and laptops.

In addition to mining, we see increased industrial trawling for fish in the deep sea, and more and more deep sea oil and gas extraction. At the present, our limited knowledge of deep sea ecosystems makes it difficult to weigh the potential biological and environmental impacts of industrial activity there. We need to figure out how to take advantage of the non-living resources of the deep in a way that ensures environmental costs are minimized and never greater than the benefits of these activities.

DiW: Oceans play a significant role in the nation’s economy. What do we really stand to lose by not looking for ways to solve these issues?

LP: Ocean ecosystems contribute directly to the economy through the provision of fish, recreational opportunities, carbon sequestration, and oxygen production—just to name a few of the benefits we get from the living sea. The deep sea bed is an integral part of ocean ecosystems. Activities that degrade the deep sea potentially put these ecosystem services at risk.

DiW: Can you tell us about the top two theme or outcomes to come out of your recent Washington Forum?

LP: I think many in the audience were surprised at how much activity is happening within the deep sea areas of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone. Marine Sanctuaries now protect extremely deep parts of the ocean, including the Mariana’s trench. The National Marine Fisheries Service has declared deep sea corals to be essential fish habitat.

The NOAA office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is actively involved in surveying the deep sea, especially to determine the limits of our outer continental shelf—the boundary at which the very deep sea begins. Several of our panelists also noted that the United States has not yet signed the Law of the Sea. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) outlines the rights and responsibilities nations have toward the world’s oceans, including guidelines for businesses, the environment, and management of natural resources. UNCLOS could be a good framework to help promote better deep sea governance, especially given that much of the deep sea exists outside of national boundaries. By not signing the convention, the ability of the United States to help shape the governance of the deep sea is limited.

DiW: How will Duke and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions use this information in research intended to contribute to the larger conversation around these issues?

LP: The Nicholas Institute continues to work closely with our partners at the Nicholas School, especially Cindy van Dover, Pat Halpin, and James Kraska, to further the policy discussion on better ways of managing the living and non-living resources of the deep sea.

The Nicholas Institute is in a unique position to foster conversations between industries, government, scientists, and environmentalists. That was the intent of the latest Washington Forum, and others planned for the future—to keep the conversation moving in the right direction.

Spotted among the usual backpacks and ballcaps on campus last week were the padfolios and pantsuits of the state and district staff of the North Carolina delegation to Congress. These staffers oversee the home offices of the Senators and Representatives that represent North Carolina in the U.S. Congress, and they visited campus on October 23rd for a full day of meetings to learn more about Duke’s programs and their impacts in the state.

Held every other year and co-hosted by the university’s Office of Federal Relations and the DUHS Office of Government Relations, the event serves as a reminder that Duke is an invaluable resource for information and programs that impact the constituents and interests of each of North Carolina’s representatives to Congress.

Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, kicked off this year’s visit by welcoming the group with anecdotes and facts about Duke and its reach in North Carolina and then turned things over to Dan Struble, associate dean for external relations at Duke University Divinity School.

“True or False, 42% of Duke Divinity graduates remain in North Carolina after graduation?” asked Struble.
“True?” hedged a staff member.
“Good guess!” sang Struble, who devoted his session to teaching the group about education and outreach initiatives of the Divinity School and how the school is uniquely positioned, both physically (the chapel is at the heart of campus after all) and intellectually (Duke Divinity is home to the Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative), to address complex global questions facing society today.

Next on the agenda was an optional tour of the Duke Chapel, where the participants learned about the history of the chapel, the origin of the stone used in its construction (it’s Hillsborough bluestone, btw), and the contributions of those buried in the chapel’s crypt.

The group then directed its attention to the more technical side of Duke, with a session highlighting some of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education research and initiatives that are making an impact on students across North Carolina and beyond.

Administrators and faculty outlined STEM-focused initiatives at Duke, from programs aimed at recruiting and retaining populations underrepresented in engineering and the sciences to state-of-the-art science education resources for K-16 teachers and their students.

Many of these programs show elementary or high school students how “science is not a silo that a group of smart people go and do ‘over there.’ It’s something that you, and you, and you do,” said Rochelle Schwartz-Bloom, director of the Duke Center for Science Education, during an enthusiastic discussion with the district staff about the Duke initiatives.
Gary Ybarra, professor of electrical and computer engineering, discussed his work sculpting TechXcite, a curriculum for after-school programs that aims to strengthen interest in and understanding of engineering topics for 11 to 14-year-olds.  The initiative, a partnership between the Pratt School of Engineering and 4-H, goes way beyond the agricultural programs for which 4-H is traditionally known.

After much lively discussion showcasing the STEM initiatives, the group moved on to lunch, where they were joined by student veterans who are currently pursuing Duke degrees with the support of VA education benefits.

The number of undergraduate, graduate and professional students at Duke receiving benefits like the Post-9/11 GI Bill has increased by 451 percent in the last four years — from 35 in 2009 to 158 today. In fact, this group is Duke’s fastest growing student population, and the students attending the lunch spent their time talking about their studies, their reasons for choosing Duke, their military experiences, and, of course, their future plans.

The state and district staff then headed over to Duke Medical Center to meet the DUHS government relations team, who filled the remainder of the day with facilities tours and sessions about resources like community cancer programs and constituent-patient services.

Congressional State and District Staff Day takes a lot of legwork and cooperation among our colleagues on campus to execute successfully, and, as usual, OFR is indebted to all who participated to make the day so substantive and engaging.  And, above all, we appreciate the state and district staff for dedicating an entire day’s work to learning more about Duke and all that it does to benefit North Carolina and our nation as a whole.

UPDATE: posted Monday, Oct. 21

Agencies release guidance for resumption of service, grant application submissionsAs the federal government resumes normal operations, individual agencies have begun to release guidance for the grant application, review, and award activities that were impacted by the government shutdown. Below are links to those agencies with direct impact upon the Duke community:

National Institutes of Health:

The NIH has moved all submission deadlines that were intended to take place in October to November dates to allow applicants access to the resources and support of NIH staff. November deadlines will not change.

The Electronic Research Administration (eRA) website is now operable. Further information on how the NIH will resume operations, reschedule meetings and reviews, and prioritize tasks is available here.

National Science Foundation:

The NSF FastLane is now available for proposal preparation and submission. Applicants, peer reviews, and current award recipients may resume normal operations of submission, uploading reviews, and drawing down funds using the NSF web portals. The NSF will provide revised due dates for funding opportunities that had a submission date between Oct. 1 and 25, 2013. They have also announced delays for the posting of new funding opportunities, review of submissions, and responding to inquiries.

Further official guidance from the NSF is available here.

UPDATE: posted Thursday, Oct. 17

President signs Continuing Resolution, Federal Government begins process of reopening

President Barak Obama has now signed a continuing resolution that brings federal employees back to work and reopens many government functions. Federal employees were directed to report to their offices for normal hours beginning Thursday, Oct. 17.

The Office of Management and Budget has instructed employees to reopen their offices in a prompt and orderly manner; however, please bear in mind that employees will need time to respond to all emails, phone messages, and other requests they have received during the 16 day shutdown.

Members of OFR will continue to monitor the situation as the government returns to normal operations.

UPDATE
Message re: Current Status of Extramural Operations at NIH — posted 10/15/13 at 10:30am

Please see below note from NIH’s deputy director for extramural research.  Additional guidance from NIH advises that “applicants are strongly encouraged not to submit paper or electronic grant applications to NIH during the period of the lapse.“

TO:  NIH Extramural Community

This is a brief communication to update the biomedical research community of the current status of extramural operations at NIH. The NIH continues to be shut down for all non-excepted activities. This means that the vast majority of NIH staff that oversee program, review, and grants management are furloughed, NIH grants and contract submissions are not being processed, reviews are not occurring, and no awards are being made. As described in NOT-OD-13-126, the Payment Management Systems remains operational and funds for most grants awarded before the shutdown can continue to be drawn down.

As the shutdown drags on, the challenge of reestablishing normal operations quickly is growing. Once the shutdown is over, NIH will need time to set new dates for grant and contract submissions, review meetings, conferences, and other activities that were scheduled to happen during and immediately following the period of the shutdown. It will take us a few days after this is over to communicate our plans, so please bear with us.

You can find the current guidance posted at grants.nih.gov. Once we reopen, additional information will be posted and published in the NIH Guide as quickly as we can make it available.

All of us at NIH hope the current situation is resolved soon, but we don’t know when that will be.

We appreciate your patience as we go through this difficult experience together.

Sincerely,
Sally Rockey, Ph.D.
NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research

UPDATE
Appearances by Federal Officials CANCELED — posted

0/2/13 at 1:30pm:
Two events, featuring keynotes by federal officials, have been canceled due to the federal government shutdown.

The Gulf Study: Investigating the Human Health Effects of the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, featuring Richard Kwok of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, has been postponed to Spring 2014. The event was scheduled for lunchtime on Oct. 3, hosted by the Duke Global Health Institute.

Energy Security in an Era of Climate Change, featuring Daniel Poneman, the Deputy Secretary of Energy, was postponed until after the government resumes normal functions. He was to kick off the Energy Speaker Series on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

UPDATE
Status of Duke – Navy Football Game — posted 10/1/13 at 5:30pm:
The Service Academies (Navy, Air Force, Army) will make decisions on the status of athletic competitions scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12, including the Duke – Navy game, late next week. At this time, Duke athletics is operating under the assumption that this game will take place as planned at 12:30pm on Saturday, Oct. 12. We will provide further updates as they are available.

UPDATE
Federal Government Enters Shutdown Mode — posted 10/1/13 at 9:30am:
As midnight on Oct. 1 approached and Congress had yet to reach an agreement over funding the federal government, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent notice to all federal agencies instructing them to begin executing their contingency plans.  Below are updates from those agencies whose operations have a direct impact on the Duke community.

Department of Education:
There will be minimal impact on schools, lenders, and guaranty agencies and their ability to administer the Title IV Programs, which include federal student loan programs. Activities related to the disbursement of Pell grants and other Direct Federal Student Loan programs will continue, and staff and contractors associated with these programs could continue to work as well.

Additionally:
–          Most customer service contact centers will remain open.
–          The eCampus-Based (eCB) Web site will remain operational and FISAPS can be submitted,
although the filing deadline will be extended because the call center will be closed.
–          FAFSA on the Web and most other processing sites will be operational.

Department of Energy:

Staff supporting the Advanced Energy Research Projects – Energy (ARPA-E) are not essential to the safety of human life or the protection of property and therefore will not report to work through a government shutdown. Only funds currently obligated to contractors and available for current fiscal year operations. No new awards will be permitted.

National Institutes of Health:

The Payment Management System will remain operational. This means individuals who are currently receiving grant funds from HHS departments will be able to drawdown their funds. However, please be aware that HHS administrative staff will not be available to provide routine services.

In addition, the www.grants.gov website will remain operational. Individuals will be able to submit grant applications; however, these will not be processed until the government resumes normal operations.

National Endowment for the Humanities:

During a shutdown, NEH’s core functions will be halted, including application processing and review, grant oversight and payments, staff travel, staff training, and procurement activities.

Grants.gov, mentioned above, also processes applications to the NEH and will continue to function. Individuals will be able to submit applications; however, technical and administrative support will not be available, unless the question may be answered by excepted employee from the Office of Information Resources Management.  No help desk or contact support for grantees will be available.

National Science Foundation:

Individuals with grant funding through the National Science Foundation should expect a direct message with information regarding access to funds. The NSF has indicated that work may continue on these projects to the extent that doing so will not require federal staff intervention and that funds are available. The NSF will not distribute funds through the shutdown.

Department of Defense:

On Monday night, President Obama signed a measure that continues funding for those contractors whom Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel determines “are providing support to the Armed Forces.” The Defense Department has not yet indicated how broadly Secretary Hagel will apply this authority.

General Notes:

If you have meetings scheduled with federal officials in the coming days and weeks, please call ahead to determine the operational status of the office.

OFR will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the Duke community as further information becomes available.
Below are direct links to agency communications.

Read More:

Department of Education (ed.gov)
Department of Energy (energy.gov)
Department of Health and Human Services (hhs.gov)
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH.gov)
National Science Foundation (nsf.gov)

Original post dated 9/26/13:
The following memo was sent to Duke deans, department heads, managers and others from Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations.  OFR will continue to provide updates as they become available.

The Office of Federal Relations is closely monitoring the budget negotiations in Washington to determine the implications of a possible federal government shutdown on Duke and its activities.  If such a shutdown takes place, it will begin next Tuesday, October 1.

The Office of Management and Budget has instructed all federal agencies and congressional offices to prepare contingency plans for internal use.

At this time, OMB has not provided guidance on communicating these plans to non-governmental employees, so it is unclear what the potential impact of a lapse in government activities will be on the Duke community.

Our Federal Relations team in Durham and Washington, DC, will continue to watch for further developments and communications from the federal agencies, but it is possible that official guidance will not become available until after the shutdown takes place. As information is received, we will share it with members of the Duke community through Duke Today. In the meantime, if you have meetings or events planned with federal officials during the next few weeks or have time-sensitive business (i.e. deadlines), it is recommended that contingency plans be considered before the close of business on Monday, September 30.
Attached are two publications from OMB and the Congressional Research Service (CRS) regarding federal government shutdowns for your reference.

Read More:
Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects (CRS)
Section 124 – Agency Operations in the Absence of Appropriations (OMB)

Related:
Higher Education Braces for Government Shutdown and More Fiscal Fights (Inside Higher Ed)

President Brodhead, co-chair of the Commission on Humanities and Social Sciences, appeared on Colbert Nation to talk the importance of the humanities, as outlined in the Commission’s new report, The Heart of the Matter.

Read the Duke Today coverage here.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes, Video Archive