DC Digest - May 7, 2012



In Today's Issue:
  • Duke Response to OMB ANPG on Grant Reform
  • New York Times Editorial Features "Golden Goose Award"
  • CGS-ETS Report Examines Career Pathways After Graduate School

 

DUKE RESPONSE TO OMB ADVANCED NOTICE OF PROPOSED GUIDANCE ON GRANT REFORM
James D. Luther, assistant vice president and research costing compliance officer, wrote to the Office of Management and Budget on April 30 to outline Duke's response to the Advanced Notice of Proposed Guidance (ANPG) on grant reform initiatives.

OMB issued the ANPG on February 28 as part of the Administration's ongoing effort to streamline regulations and improve oversight of federal programs, and is a follow-on to the work conducted by the Interagency Task Force on Circular A-21 - to which Duke provided recommendations last summer.

In the letter, Luther expresses "appreciation for the consideration of potential grant reform initiatives and for [OMB's] willingness to solicit input and informed recommendations from front line recipients of federal funds."

The university's response addresses the cost principles and administrative requirements associated with the reform of federal policies relating to grants and cooperative agreements.

Read More:
Duke University Response to ANPG on Grant Reform (pdf)


NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL FEATURES “GOLDEN GOOSE AWARD” 
The New York Times published an editorial on April 30 that highlights the “Golden Goose Award,” an initiative of AAU and other organizations that will focus on the often unexpected and transformative outcomes of basic scientific research.  Three Members of Congress and the seven organizations announced the launch of the award at an April 25 press conference on Capitol Hill. 

The editorial reads, “Leading scientific organizations have…announced plans for their own annual Golden Goose Award to honor seemingly frivolous research that produced big dividends.  The goal is to make clear that financing for science should not be cut recklessly in pursuit of deficit reduction.”  The editorial notes that the idea for the award “came from Representative Jim Cooper, a Tennessee Democrat, who says he was ‘offended that politicians were making fun of science for their own gain.’” The Times editorial references the Golden Fleece awards conferred by the late Senator William Proxmire.

The editorial cites some examples of seemingly obscure research that proved important—such as a study of the sexual habits of the screwworm, which saved the cattle industry billions of dollars otherwise lost to this deadly cattle pest— and the recent efforts of Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) to carry on the Proxmire tradition.  The editorial concludes:  “Congress needs to remember that sound research is an investment in the future.”

Read More:
Of Geese and Fleece (NY Times)

 
CGS-ETS REPORT EXAMINES CAREER PATHWAYS AFTER GRADUATE SCHOOL
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) released a report on April 19 that “calls on university, business, and government sectors to team more closely—and innovatively—than they do now in order to prepare the highly skilled talent the country needs to be successful going forward.”

The report, Strengthening Pathways through Graduate School and into Careers, examines such issues as what graduate students know about career options when they are in school, how they learn about occupational opportunities, the role of graduate programs and faculty in informing and guiding students along the path to their professional careers, and the career paths that graduate degree-holders actually take.  It offers recommendations for change to universities, employers, and policymakers.

Read More:
Strengthening Pathways through Graduate School and into Careers (cgsnet.org)