by Jeff Vincent

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Faced with a severe belt-tightening of federal support for university-based research, several members of Vanderbilt’s faculty have devoted considerable time and air-miles in recent weeks bringing directly to the nation’s capital their case for adequate funding. Once here, they wear out lots of shoe leather visiting with national policymakers about the importance and value of their research and that of their colleagues.

Some of the faculty members have been here before, but others are making their first foray into federal advocacy. All go at the task with the enthusiasm of missionaries, the inquisitiveness of academic researchers and the caution of strangers in a truly different world.

After a day or two of meetings – traipsing from one side of Capitol Hill to the other – they invariably report that the experience has been demanding, enlightening and fulfilling.

The months of March and April are primetime for interest groups, ranging from corn growers to astrophysicists, to bring their concerns to Congress and the Executive Branch. This is the period when lawmakers are shaping an overall federal budget for the next fiscal year and, equally important, deciding how to allocate that budget among myriad federal programs.

In the current difficult budget environment, virtually all interest groups have sharpened their elbows and stepped up their “lobbying” activities to protect vital programs. Taking your case to policymakers by no means guarantees success, but failing to advance your arguments in a highly competitive budget environment is a recipe for unhappiness.

Many groups are represented by paid consultants, but Vanderbilt’s long-held position is that its faculty – those who actually perform or oversee the research facilitated by federal grants – are the most persuasive and most credible representatives of the university. During the past six weeks, many of them have taken time from their campus duties to make the trip to Washington, where they met with congressional officials and, in some cases, the federal agency officials who oversee their programs.

The College of Arts and Science sent three representatives to Capitol Hill. They had a series of meetings with staff from Tennessee congressional offices to help bolster funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Cathy Jrade, chair of the Spanish and Portuguese department, and Jane Landers, associate professor of history, were joined on the visits by Mona Frederick, executive director of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities. Jrade and Landers described the intriguing research made possible by their recent NEH grants, while Frederick provided numerous examples of how humanities research touches the lives of Tennesseans.

Engineering Dean Ken Galloway hosted a breakfast in the Rayburn House Office Building to discuss engineering research and education issues with Tennessee’s delegation. The event was attended by Reps. Marsha Blackburn, John Tanner, John Duncan Jr. and Lincoln Davis, as well as top staff members from several other offices. Galloway was joined by the engineering deans from four other Tennessee universities. He also arranged for Rep. Jim Cooper, Nashville’s congressman, to present a keynote address to a national conference of engineering deans the day before the Hill visits.

Camilla Benbow, dean of Peabody College, came to Washington to take on the issue of adequate funding for education research, particularly for programs at the National Science Foundation and Department of Education. She, too, met with Rep. Cooper, as well as staff from other Tennessee offices and the staff director for the Senate’s education committee. Benbow is co-chair of a coalition of deans from 16 leading schools of education. They formed last year with the express purpose of engaging national policymakers on education research issues.

Meanwhile, other Vanderbilt faculty members have made visits to congressional offices to make the case for federal funding for specific research programs in which they play leadership roles. Dave Piston leads Vanderbilt’s contributions to the Medical Free Electron Laser program, which includes five universities. Jim Davidson is principal investigator for the Advanced Carbon Nanotechnology program, a five-institution research effort headquartered at Vanderbilt. Vicki Greene is the immediate past-chair of a group of 1,500 scientists and students who use the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. All have journeyed from Nashville to Capitol Hill in recent weeks to have their voices heard on funding issues.

The efforts by Vanderbilt’s faculty are mirrored by similar advocacy initiatives at scores of other universities. In the course of just a few weeks, their collective efforts will significantly shape the important debate on federal investment in research.

Jeff Vincent is Vanderbilt’s assistant vice chancellor for federal relations.

Posted 4/18/05