Dear Colleagues,
Later today, our university community will receive a massmail with details about recent federal updates. The stream of new orders and guidance can leave many people unsettled and unsure about what the future may hold. As university leaders, you know that your teams are looking to you for guidance and answers, and we encourage you and your teams not to shy away from having conversations about employee concerns. You will find information below that may be helpful as you navigate these conversations.
As always, if you need additional support or information, please email federalupdates@illinois.edu. It is not an easy time to be a leader in higher education, and we are grateful for your patience, empathy and belief in our university missions.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Jones
Chancellor
John Coleman
Provost
Navigating employee concerns
- Make time to listen to concerns. Even if you don’t have all the answers, being able to voice feelings to leadership can be empowering and reassuring.
- Be careful not to make promises you cannot keep.
- It is okay to say, “I don’t know” or “I can take that concern to the appropriate office and report back to you.”
- Be as transparent about potential challenges as possible.
- Provide information on strategies you are considering. Invite others into the dialogue as appropriate knowing employees have good ideas on streamlining or cost savings.
- Make a commitment to share information with employees as soon as you have it and consider a regular communication that verifies if there is no new factual information.
- Remind your employees that they and their families can utilize the services of Faculty/Staff Assistance and Well-Being Services.
- Encourage employees and students to continue to focus on the good work they are doing, maintaining our values and commitment to each other.
- Remind employees that as the university navigates the current challenges, we will follow our university policies and treat employees with dignity and respect.
- Encourage employees to bring their concerns to their supervisor.
- Illinois Human Resources also has website information about leading in times of uncertainty, and we would encourage you to use it as a resource.
Federal updates talk points/guidance
- We know that recent executive orders, federal agency directives and policy announcements have been unsettling to many.
- As we do with all new laws, orders and regulations from any level of government, the university diligently reviews the details with our experts to understand the impact.
- We do not act based on speculation before a thorough analysis takes place.
- University leadership will make recommendations about how to move forward in a way that is consistent both with our cornerstone values and the law.
- The university has set up several working groups comprised of administrators, faculty and staff across campus in four areas — research, expanding access, immigration and workforce impact — to review the federal changes and offer input on how best to respond to them.
- We will continue to provide guidance to campus community members as clarity about the next steps emerges.
- In all things, the university will hold fast to our core principles of safeguarding the university’s land-grant mission; adhering to relevant laws and regulations; and supporting the well-being and privacy of all members of our campus community. We remain unwavering in our commitment to our values. We will be transparent and compassionate as we navigate these important issues together.
- Thank you for your kindness to each other and for your dedication to our mission as we navigate these times.
- The resources and FAQs at https://federalupdates.illinois.edu will be continuously updated as new information becomes available.
- Other questions or concerns can be sent to federalupdates@illinois.edu, and the people monitoring that inbox will work to find an answer as soon as possible.
- Please also feel encouraged to communicate with your supervisors or your unit executive officer with any concerns you have.
Dear Colleague letter
- University experts are working to assess what this might mean for our university.
- University counsel is evaluating the letter about racial preferences issued by the Department of Education on February 8, as well as the Frequently Asked Questions recently issued, with the assistance of outside counsel with expertise in this area.
- That same firm is also advising several other universities.
- We are connecting with colleagues at other universities in COGR, AAU and the APLU as well as the BIG10 to learn from each other.
Ensuring individuals know their rights
- OVCDEI has been hosting events to educate the university community about their rights if an encounter with ICE agents occurs on campus.
- They have also been sharing information and resources on their website.
- Note: We do not have any information to suggest ICE has been present on campus.
International students
- International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) has been communicating directly with our international students and scholars, sharing information about changes at the federal level.
- One executive order directs the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security to issue a report that identifies “countries throughout the world for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”
- This report is due March 21, 2025 — during our spring break — so ISSS has been advising international students on risks associated with international travel during this time.
Research/NIH
- Federal funding accounted for $615 million of our total sponsored research budget of nearly $755 million in fiscal year 2024.
- Any recalculation of indirect cost rates or changes to how research is funded would have a significant impact on our ability to conduct research, not just at Illinois but across the nation.
- The proposed change to the way that the NIH reimburses us for the cost of research is facing legal challenges.
- The State of Illinois is one of the litigants, and the University of Illinois System has provided information in support of the lawsuit that demonstrates how the university would be harmed.
Budget guidance
- Units are currently working to think holistically about their activities and identify threats to their operations as they plan for the challenges ahead.
- Until the scope and scale of the reductions are fully understood, units are encouraged to prioritize their spending activities on core-mission activities and refrain from launching, expanding or continuing non-mission critical activities.