(AnaElda Ramos | Managing Illustration Editor)

In an email addressed to the WashU community last Monday, Chancellor Andrew Martin emphasized that the WashU administration was doing “all [it] can to advocate for the university” in light of the recent investigations and funding cuts under the Trump Administration.

The email highlighted the fact that the administration is now taking action to “ensure that [WashU] is using [its] resources wisely.” 

According to the email, the University may have to reevaluate the need to fill some senior-level positions, require approval before filling open positions, pause some on-campus construction projects, and reduce the number of admitted students to certain graduate programs in the next several months.

However, they did not specify which construction projects will be impacted. Details about changes to WashU’s hiring process or how the University will reevaluate certain faculty positions are also unknown.

“First, it’s important to acknowledge that this has been a time of uncertainty and stress for many of us,” Martin wrote. “We want to assure you that we continue to do all we can to advocate for the university and make sure our elected officials understand the value and impact of our work in support of research, education, and patient care.”

Since February, a series of executive orders, policy changes, and federal investigations have impacted WashU and other higher education institutions across the US. 

As second in the nation for the amount of annual funding received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), WashU was at risk of large reductions in its biomedical research budget when a $4 billion funding cut was announced by the NIH in February. 

One month later, the US Department of Education (DOE) also initiated a civil rights investigation into WashU and 44 other universities for alleged “discriminatory” practices. A memo issued by DOE threatened to withhold federal funds if the universities failed to immediately review their DEI-related programs and policies.

According to Martin in a Q&A session with Student Life last week, a group composed of several administrators and medical school executives is currently reviewing the situation and will recommend which programs to cut back on.

Formed last August, the committee includes Nichol Luoma, Chief Administrative Officer; David Gray, Chief Financial Officer; Rick Stanton, the de facto CAO and the CFO of the School of Medicine; Dr. Anna Gonzalez, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; and Pam Henson, the Executive Vice Chancellor for University Advancement. 

Multiple members of the administration, including Chancellor Martin, failed to reply to Student Life emails requesting further comment. Julie Flory, Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications, said that there was no more information to add. 

“As mentioned in the email, we’ll update campus as there is new information,” she wrote.

In a statement to NPR last week, Martin, along with several other college presidents and administrators, expressed his concerns for the future of universities and their relationship with the federal government.

“This is uncharted waters for us,” he told NPR. “We’re in a moment with great uncertainty about what the future of the relationship between the federal government and American institutions of higher education look like.”

His most recent email to the University community reiterated that WashU continues to closely monitor the situation and is seeking ways to prepare for “whatever may come.”

“We always have a responsibility to ensure that we’re using our resources wisely,” he added. “Given the current circumstances, however, the need for even more careful stewardship of our finances is especially pronounced.”

Martin’s email also stated that future updates will be posted to the “Updates on Federal Impacts” section of WashU’s website, which currently lists all the official statements made by the University in the past three months. 

Currently, WashU offers over 50 master’s and 80 doctoral programs across its nine schools. In the Q&A session, Martin said that “every program is likely to be affected by [the] funding cuts,” but stressed that the University “[hasn’t] made any cuts yet.”

However, WashU was listed on a public spreadsheet linked by an Inside Higher Ed article about nationwide pauses in graduate school admissions. Reportedly, the University confirmed via email that a PhD program in the Division of Biological and Behavioral Sciences (DBBS) was now accepting students up until a “target size,” and then issuing an “automatic deferral.”

Representatives from DBBS declined to comment, and the Office of Graduate Studies and College of Arts & Sciences did not respond to requests for comment as of the date of publication.

Martin also emphasized both in the Q&A and last Monday’s email that there are still many unknowns with these recent changes and developments.

“We remain hopeful that the impact of federal changes on universities like WashU will be reasonable and measured, and that we will be able to continue to fully serve society, to the great benefit of our region, the nation and the world,” Martin wrote.