Office Of Federal Relations

Philippe Fauchet, the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering at Vanderbilt University, met with members of Congress last week while in Washington, D.C., to emphasize the integral role that engineering research plays in strengthening the United States’ competitiveness and security. Read More

Nineteen Vanderbilt Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this month to attend the fifth in-person Federal STEM Policy and Advocacy seminar. While a condensed virtual version of the event was offered in fall 2020 and 2021, this was the first in-person federal STEM seminar since 2018. Read More

June 23 marks the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant, a federal student aid program that has expanded higher education opportunities for millions of low-income Americans. To celebrate the historic milestone, Vanderbilt has joined with others in the higher ed community to highlight Pell's value and impact and underscore the need for Congress to reinvest in the program.  Read More

Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier led 66 other leaders of Tennessee’s colleges and universities today in sending a letter to the Tennessee congressional delegation urging them to make an affordable, high-quality college education more attainable for students by doubling the maximum Pell Grant award and permanently indexing the grant to inflation to ensure that its value will no longer diminish over time. Read More

Several Vanderbilt offices will partner to host two virtual events for undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs focused on federal science, technology, engineering and mathematics policy on Nov. 1 and 8. Read More

Two graduate students from Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering and one from the School of Medicine Basic Sciences recently addressed legislators in Washington, D.C., virtually, sharing stories about the important role funding from the National Science Foundation has played in their research and training. Read More

United States Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond recently visited Vanderbilt to learn about the pioneering aerospace engineering projects at the university’s research institutes and trans-institutional programs. Read More

Members of the Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center communities pay tribute to retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, BA’62, for his influential roots as a Vanderbilt undergraduate, his many years of dedicated public service, and his legacy of support for higher education, research and innovation. Read More

A back-assist exoskeleton developed by Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Karl Zelik at Vanderbilt is being recognized by the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities for their annual innovation showcase. Read More

Vanderbilt University is urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to withdraw a new proposal that would limit the duration of international student visas to either four or two years, depending on a student’s home country or country of birth. Read More

Several Vanderbilt offices are partnering to host two virtual events focused on federal science, technology, engineering and mathematics policy Oct. 19 and 29. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente recently wrote to members of the Tennessee congressional delegation, urging them to support America’s leading research universities as they work through the ramifications of the COVID-19 global health pandemic. Read More

Before the COVID-19 outbreak necessitated the move to online and alternative learning earlier this spring, undergraduate students Barton Christmas and Miranda Cross traveled to Washington, D.C., and with guidance from the Office of Federal Relations, advocated for robust federal support for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read More

United States competitiveness, workforce development and university partnerships were the topics of interest for Philippe Fauchet, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering, and members and staff of the Tennessee congressional delegation earlier this month in Washington, D.C. Read More

Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente and Jeff Balser, president and CEO at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and dean of the School of Medicine, sent a joint letter last week to members of the Tennessee congressional delegation applauding recent bipartisan efforts to invest in programs that support scientific research, public health and education, and urging Congress to finalize funding for fiscal year 2020. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente emphasized the need to reaffirm the longstanding partnership between the federal government and America’s leading research universities when they met with members of the Tennessee congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., this week. Read More

Vanderbilt School of Engineering Dean Philippe Fauchet was in Washington, D.C., last week to advocate for federal support of engineering education and research, in particular through partnerships with the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the departments of Energy and Defense. Read More

With the start of the 116th Congress, Vanderbilt’s Office of Federal Relations wishes to remind the university community of the current regulations regarding federal lobbying disclosure reports as well as congressional restrictions on gifts, meals and travel. Read More

Nineteen Vanderbilt graduate students and postdoctoral scholars spent two days in Washington, D.C., last week participating in the fourth STEM Policy and Advocacy Seminar. Read More

Congress passed a bipartisan $1.29 trillion spending bill for the current fiscal year on March 23 that includes some of the largest increases in research and education accounts in nearly a decade. Read More