Colleges look hard to replace earmarks: Lobbyists help scour D.C. for new funds

Boston Globe ^ | September 1, 2011 | Tracy Jan

[reaganaut1]

Dozens of Massachusetts colleges are scrambling to find alternate ways to pay for research programs, campus construction, and other initiatives to make up for the loss of federal money once delivered through so-called earmarks.

A two-year moratorium on the practice, which allowed lawmakers to tack dollars for pet projects onto a bill without debate, hits the state particularly hard. In the past three years alone, colleges in the Bay State received more than $57 million to fund items such as a large telescope at University of Massachusetts Amherst, a library renovation at Lesley University, and research on biological warfare at Boston University, according to the nonpartisan group Taxpayers for Common Sense.

In response to the freeze, schools are turning to Washington lobbyists to prowl the federal bureaucracy on their behalf, pleading with local benefactors to make up the difference in funds, and aggressively seeking federal grants. Researchers have been forced to shift priorities or lower their ambitions. In some cases, workers have been let go.

“What’s happening now in the post-earmark world is that it becomes a multifaceted strategy,’’ said Michael Armini, who oversees Northeastern University’s government relations. “It’s not just all about Capitol Hill.’’

For large institutions such as Northeastern and Boston University, the shift means beefing up their staffs with consultants and lobbying firms to help them navigate other potential funding paths and pitch directly to federal research agencies.

“All serious major universities are strengthening their federal relations,’’ said Jean Morrison, provost at BU, which is seeking an assistant vice president for federal relations. “Lobbying is just one part. The other part is to be knowledgeable about what kinds of things the federal government and different agencies are going to want to be funding.’’

[reaganaut1]

University professors continually publish "studies" and opinion pieces calling for more government. The government reciprocates by shovelling more dough to the universities. It's time to end the racket.

Most of the commenters at the Boston Globe site sound like Freepers.

[PeterPrinciple]

Maybe the students will have to be the customers instead of the govt?

[ConjunctionJunction]

That’s crazy talk!

[BradtotheBone]

Awww, poor babies can’t get by without the Federal Trough.

[bimbo]

“All serious major universities are strengthening their federal relations”

... they might have to do a very fast shuffle, since universities are largely Marxist sink-holes. They’ll look very strange kissing up to the Tea Party.