ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES
July 11, 2012
Dear Mr. President and Congressional Leaders:
We write to urge your bipartisan leadership in forging a major, balanced long-term deficit-reduction agreement that will reduce budget deficits, rein in the nation’s debt, and create economic and job growth to ensure our nation’s long-term fiscal health and to prevent the indiscriminate cuts of sequestration.
Sequestration is an undiscerning and blunt budget tool that would substantially harm our nation’s future by blindly slashing valuable investments in education and scientific research, as well as other important discretionary programs that provide health, economic, and national security. There is much public discussion about the impact of sequestration on the defense budget but little about the proposed indiscriminate cuts to the non-defense discretionary budget. Deficit reduction until now has concentrated almost entirely on non-defense discretionary expenditures, which are only about one-sixth of the budget. Spending on these programs is not the primary cause of our rising debt. Wholesale additional reductions in these and other programs that educate and train the next generation risk undermining our nation’s human capital, infrastructure, technological, and scientific needs.
A prudent and effective deficit reduction agreement should seriously and thoughtfully address a primary source of long-term spending growth: entitlement programs. Entitlement programs account for a large percentage of the budget, and they are projected to take an increasing share of federal spending in the coming decade. However, the sizable deficit reduction required cannot be achieved solely through decreasing expenditures. Substantial tax reform that is designed both to encourage economic growth and to raise revenues needed to reduce the deficit should also be part of the package.
The federal government has played and must continue to play a critical role in fostering U.S. economic competitiveness and economic growth, and therefore, even as the overall budget may be constrained, certain investments for the future must be a top priority. Americans know that investments in education and scientific research pay long-term dividends. Federal support for scientific research and student financial aid laid the foundation for the dramatic expansion of the 20 th century U.S. economy and can do the same in the 21 st . These investments produce the people and the ideas that lead to new products, new businesses, and entire new industries, as well as the jobs that go with them.
Members of both political parties believe that a long-term deficit reduction agreement should specifically incorporate such investments. For example, the majority report of the bipartisan Bowles-Simpson Commission stated, “we must invest in education, infrastructure, and high-value research and development to help our economy grow, keep us globally competitive, and make it easier for businesses to create jobs.”
As national leaders in higher education, we urge you to show America and the world that our country’s political system is capable of solving serious problems. The choices will not be easy, but throughout our nation’s history, American leaders have overcome great challenges with difficult decisions and sensible compromises. Please do so again and do so now.
Association of American Universities •1200 New York Ave., NW, Suite 550, Washington, DC 20005 •(202) 408-7500 Association of Public and Land-grant Universities • 1307 New York Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005 • (202) 478-6040
Sincerely,
Peter McPherson, President Hunter R. Rawlings III, President Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Association of American Universities
Michael F. Adams, President Lee C. Bollinger, President The University of Georgia Columbia University
Stan L. Albrecht, President Al Bowman, President Utah State University Illinois State University
Paula Allen-Meares, Chancellor Linda P. Brady, Chancellor University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
James H. Ammons, President A. John Bramley, Interim President Florida A&M University University of Vermont
Guy Bailey, President Dean L. Bresciani, President Texas Tech University North Dakota State University
Charles R. Bantz, Chancellor Richard H. Brodhead, President Indiana University - Purdue University Duke University Indianapolis M. Christopher Brown II, President James F. Barker, President Alcorn State University Clemson University Thomas Buchanan, President Eric J. Barron, President University of Wyoming The Florida State University Eli Capilouto, President Mark Becker, President University of Kentucky Georgia State University Robert L. Caret, President Robert M. Berdahl, Interim President University of Massachusetts University of Oregon Jean-Lou Chameau, President Ronald Berkman, President California Institute of Technology Cleveland State University Jimmy G. Cheek, Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau, Chancellor The University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of California, Berkeley David L. Chicoine, President Gene D. Block, Chancellor South Dakota State University University of California, Los Angeles James P. Clements, President West Virginia University
2 Jared L. Cohon, President Royce C. Engstrom, President Carnegie Mellon University The University of Montana
Mary Sue Coleman, President Rodney A. Erickson, President University of Michigan The Pennsylvania State University
France Córdova, President Drew Gilpin Faust, President Purdue University Harvard University
Robert A. Corrigan, President Paul W. Ferguson, President San Francisco State University The University of Maine
Barbara Couture, President Elson S. Floyd, President New Mexico State University Washington State University
Scott S. Cowen, President Anthony A. Frank, President Tulane University Colorado State University
Michael M. Crow, President Robert G. Frank, President Arizona State University The University of New Mexico
Waded Cruzado, President Patrick K. Gamble, President Montana State University University of Alaska System
Ronald J. Daniels, President Carol Z. Garrison, President The Johns Hopkins University The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Brady J. Deaton, Chancellor G. David Gearhart, Chancellor University of Missouri University of Arkansas
Joseph A. DiPietro, President E. Gordon Gee, President University of Tennessee The Ohio State University
Philip P. DiStefano, Chancellor Thomas F. George, Chancellor University of Colorado Boulder University of Missouri-St. Louis
Michael V. Drake, Chancellor Allan Gilmour, President University of California, Irvine Wayne State University
Philip L. Dubois, Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor University of North Carolina at Charlotte The City University of New York
John M. Dunn, President Bernadette Gray-Little, Chancellor Western Michigan University The University of Kansas
Don Elliman, Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood, President University of Colorado Denver University of Hawaii System
Richard M. Englert, Acting President Amy Gutmann, President Temple University University of Pennsylvania
3 John Haeger, President Renu Khator, Chancellor, Northern Arizona University University of Houston System, & President, University of Houston David Hall, President University of the Virgin Islands William E. Kirwan, Chancellor University System of Maryland V. Burns Hargis, President Oklahoma State University Robert W. Kustra, President Boise State University Patrick T. Harker, President University of Delaware Frederick M. Lawrence, President Brandeis University Ann Weaver Hart, President University of Arizona Steven Leath, President Iowa State University Brian O. Hemphill, President West Virginia State University David W. Leebron, President Rice University John L. Hennessy, President Stanford University Richard C. Levin, President Yale University Susan Herbst, President University of Connecticut R. Bowen Loftin, President Texas A&M University Elliott Hirshman, President San Diego State University Wallace Loh, President University of Maryland John Hitt, President University of Central Florida J. Bernard Machen, President University of Florida Mark W. Huddleston, President University of New Hampshire Carolyn R. Mahoney, President Lincoln University Lloyd A. Jacobs, MD, President The University of Toledo Ronald Mason, President Southern University and College System Calvin Johnson, Chancellor University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Sally Mason, President The University of Iowa Marc A. Johnson, President University of Nevada, Reno Mary Ellen Mazey, President Bowling Green State University Daniel W. Jones, Chancellor The University of Mississippi Richard L. McCormick, President Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Eric W. Kaler, President University of Minnesota Michael A. McRobbie, President Indiana University Linda P. B. Katehi, Chancellor University of California, Davis Gary L. Miller, Chancellor University of North Carolina Wilmington
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James B. Milliken, President Charles B. Reed, Chancellor University of Nebraska The California State University
Leo E. Morton, Chancellor L. Rafael Reif, President University of Missouri - Kansas City Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Glenn Mroz, President Kevin P. Reilly, President Michigan Tech University University of Wisconsin System
Diana Natalicio, President Brian Rogers, Chancellor The University of Texas at El Paso University of Alaska Fairbanks
M. Duane Nellis, President Mark B. Rosenberg, President University of Idaho Florida International University
C. L. Max Nikias, President Tom Ross, President University of Southern California University of North Carolina
Mark A. Nordenberg, Chancellor Gary D. Russi, President University of Pittsburgh Oakland University
Harris Pastides, President E. Joseph Savoie, President University of South Carolina University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Christina Paxson, President Cheryl B. Schrader, Chancellor Brown University Missouri University of Science and Technology
Harvey Perlman, Chancellor Kirk H. Schulz, President University of Nebraska-Lincoln Kansas State University
G. P. "Bud" Peterson, President Joel Seligman, President Georgia Institute of Technology University of Rochester
Glenn Poshard, President Allen L. Sessoms, President Southern Illinois University University of the District of Columbia
William C. Powers, President John Sexton, President The University of Texas at Austin New York University
Luis M. Proenza, President Mary E. Sias, President The University of Akron Kentucky State University
Mohammad Qayoumi, President Lou Anna Simon, President San Jose State University Michigan State University
V. Lane Rawlins, President David J. Skorton, President University of North Texas Cornell University
Edward J. Ray, President Barbara R. Snyder, President Oregon State University Case Western Reserve University
5 James D. Spaniolo, President Phyllis M. Wise, Chancellor The University of Texas at Arlington University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Samuel L. Stanley Jr., President Timothy J. Wolfe, President Stony Brook University, The State University of University of Missouri System New York William R. "Randy" Woodson, Chancellor Charles W. Steger, President North Carolina State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) George C. Wright, President Prairie View A&M University Harvey G. Stenger, President Binghamton University, The State University of Mark S. Wrighton, Chancellor New York Washington University in St. Louis
Kumble R. Subbaswamy, Chancellor Henry T. Yang, Chancellor University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of California, Santa Barbara
Teresa Sullivan, President Michael K. Young, President University of Virginia University of Washington
H. Holden Thorp, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos, Chancellor The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Vanderbilt University
Shirley M. Tilghman, President Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor Princeton University The State University of New York
Satish K. Tripathi, President University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
James W. Wagner, President Emory University
David Ward, Interim Chancellor University of Wisconsin-Madison
John D. Welty, President California State University, Fresno
Robert A. Wharton, President South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Wim Wiewel, President Portland State University
Gregory H. Williams, President University of Cincinnati
Harry L. Williams, President Delaware State University
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