Update on Potential Impacts of Executive Orders

Dear colleagues,

A number of memorandums, proclamations, and executive orders have been released since President Trump’s inauguration in January and university leaders are in the process of studying those that have the potential to impact our educational and research missions. Of particular interest are those that pertain to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and foreign aid.

Last fall, the university formulated and began implementing a plan to strengthen InclusiveVT by reorganizing central university functions in a strategically relevant manner and integrating student advisement and faculty support functions into the Provost’s Office. These functions are designed to enhance educational environments to enable our graduates to serve national and international communities at large and ensure that all students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to thrive and achieve their full potential. We will continue our work in this area in compliance with the law and with guidance from the Board of Visitors.

Regarding foreign aid, a number of federal grants have received stop-work orders, including projects funded by USAID. These orders, as well as others that we anticipate may target projects that focus directly on DEI, could have significant impacts on personnel supported through grant funding. We are in the process of identifying projects at risk and expect to work with PIs to formulate plans for addressing each project on a case-by-case basis.

Please note that the memorandum released last week ordering a freeze on all federal projects was rescinded and that the important research funded by the respective federal agencies may continue. Nevertheless, while it is important that you continue to make progress on meeting research goals and timelines, it would be prudent to hold back on expenditures that may not be essential to the conduct of the research at this time. For updates on federally sponsored grants and contracts, please visit the Research and Innovation website.

Finally, the Faculty Senate has shared a concern relating to the executive order on antisemitism. Please be assured that Virginia Tech remains committed to upholding the First Amendment rights of our university community and the related academic freedom that is a hallmark of academic institutions such as ours (see the university statement on freedom of expression and inquiry). Indeed, the university has not wavered on this commitment and will continue to protect freedom of expression irrespective of the viewpoint and do so in accordance with legal limitations related to time, manner and place. While the EO places an emphasis on antisemitism at a policy level, laws securing First Amendment rights still prevail.

The university is seeking clarification on the potential impacts of the memorandums, proclamations, and executive orders issued over the last few days and expects to learn more about these in the next several weeks. On Monday, President Sands established a regulatory and policy working group to monitor, analyze and develop strategies to address the situation. We will update you periodically as further information becomes available.

Cyril