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Probe Questions Whether Researchers Took Chinese Funding

Open letter of Francis Collins, director of NIH , to more than 10,000 research institutions, urging them to ensure that NIH grantees are properly reporting their foreign ties. 美国最大的医学科研机构 国立卫生研究院(NIH)院长 弗朗西斯·柯林斯(Francis S. Collins) 披露 形式 支持 资金来源 外国政府 外国机构
Open letter of Francis Collins, director of NIH , to more than 10,000 research institutions, urging them to ensure that NIH grantees are properly reporting their foreign ties. 美国最大的医学科研机构 国立卫生研究院(NIH)院长 弗朗西斯·柯林斯(Francis S. Collins) 披露 形式 支持 资金来源 外国政府 外国机构

The National Institutes of Health is investigating whether a dozen researchers there failed to report taking funding from foreign governments, specifically China.

Last August, NIH sent a letter to more than 10,000 research institutions urging them to ensure that NIH grantees are properly reporting their foreign ties. The agency also said it is investigating about a half-dozen cases in which NIH-funded investigators may have broken reporting rules, and it reminded researchers who review grant applications that they should not share proposal information with outsiders.

NIH is also getting pressure from Congress.

Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, last month requested the NIH Inspector General's office investigate "threats posed by foreign actors seeking to steal U.S. intellectual property by exploiting U.S. research institutions and the vetting processes in place regarding researchers and public grants [supported] by taxpayer-funded research."

"The threats to our academic institutions from foreign governments are well known," Grassley wrote. "Our government must take all reasonable and necessary steps to protect the integrity of taxpayer-funded research."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill.

Grassley inquired about the background checks of the researchers conducted by the FBI, as well, asking if "federal law enforcement has taken to educate various government agencies and institutions of higher learning about the threat and a history of investigatory and prosecutorial steps taken by the department in the last five years."

The senator pointed to testimony in December 2018 from Justice Department witness John Demers, who testified that some "researchers in labs, universities, and the defense industrial base … may have undisclosed ties to Chinese institutions and conflicted loyalties."

​In February 2018, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about worldwide threats that the Chinese are "exploiting" and "taking advantage" of our academic institutions.

The same month, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio wrote to four Florida universities imploring them to sever their relationship with "Confucius Institutes," or language and cultural programs sponsored by the Chinese government, and in the past few years, accused of spreading Chinese propaganda.

"There is mounting concern about the Chinese government's increasingly aggressive attempts to use Confucius Institutes ... to influence foreign academic institutions, and critical analysis of China's past history and present policies," Rubio wrote.

​Several educational institutions have severed ties with "Confucius Institutes" in their countries, including France, Japan, Germany, Canada and Australia. In 2014, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) published a statement titled "Confucius Institutes Threaten Academic Freedom."

"Confucius Institutes function as an arm of the Chinese state and are allowed to ignore academic freedom," AAUP wrote.

Grassley's correspondence cited recent convictions of Chinese nationals who have stolen research from American universities.

"In simple terms, it's called cheating," Grassley wrote. "And it's only getting worse."

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‘Study away’ programs in the US can provide enrichment opportunities 

FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.
FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.

While studying abroad can expose students to new cultures and experiences, researchers are finding that domestic ‘study away’ programs can be helpful as well.

Some students, including those on an international visa, may not be able to study abroad, but they can travel to other locations in the U.S. for enrichment experiences, Ashley Mowreader writes in Inside Higher Ed. (October 2024)

Fewer students disclose race in applications to top colleges 

FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023
FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023

FAfter the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions last year, fewer students are disclosing their race or ethnicity in applications to top colleges.

Writing in USA Today, Zachary Schermele notes that the data is preliminary, but it could signal a change in the way students are approaching college applications. (October 2024)

Overall college enrollment is up, first-year enrollment down 

FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.
FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.

For the second year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment has climbed in the United States.

But the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center noticed a substantial drop in the number of freshmen, which could be troubling for future enrollment, according to a report in Forbes. (October 2024)

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool
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The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has sparked debate in higher education, raising questions about ethics and integrity in teaching, learning and knowledge creation. In South Africa, some academic institutions are taking a proactive approach, integrating AI into their curricula. Experts say this step is not only innovative but also helps level the playing field among students. Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.

International students may be able to get jobs at school 

FILE - Northeastern University graduate student Shabbir Hussain, of Indore, India, left, views a computer screen at the entrance to the Snell Library on the Northeastern University campus in Boston on May 24, 2016.
FILE - Northeastern University graduate student Shabbir Hussain, of Indore, India, left, views a computer screen at the entrance to the Snell Library on the Northeastern University campus in Boston on May 24, 2016.

International students studying in the United States may be able to work on campus.

Jobs can include working in libraries, labs, food service and dormitories – but students will have to research the rules before applying for jobs, according to U.S. News & World Report. (September 2024)

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