Jack Cline is the university’s vice president for federal relations who advocates for Northeastern’s priorities on Capitol Hill. He sat down with special correspondent Joanna Weiss.
I lead a small team of in-house and outside lobbyists on Capitol Hill. We work tirelessly every day advocating for Northeastern’s priorities and making sure Northeastern has a voice on issues that affect all aspects of our teaching and research.
We engage with the executive branch and lawmakers from the states we’re in: Massachusetts, California, Washington, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Maine, and soon, New York. Sometimes, we work alongside other higher ed institutions and industry partners to push for federal action that will help all of us meet our missions.
You’re right, we generally can’t take sides in a partisan political battle. We certainly cannot advocate for one political candidate over another.
What we can do — and this is the work we tackle every day — is focus on issues of strategic importance to the university. This includes advocating for increased funding for research. It also includes protecting student financial aid accounts, such as the Pell Grant program or the work study program. It can also be about shaping public policies that impact the higher education sector as a whole.
No, not really. President Trump has signed dozens of executive orders since his inauguration. Many of these were anticipated. The Trump-Vance campaign was transparent about its priorities, so we’ve had time to prepare for how various directives could affect Northeastern. In December, for instance, we issued guidance to international students, faculty and staff on when to return from overseas travel. We’ve been thinking strategically about other potential executive orders and legislation that could be coming down the pike.
The first thing to know is that this kind of pause is not unprecedented. I remember in 2009, when the incoming Obama administration was getting situated, something very similar happened at NIH. These restrictions were eventually lifted.
For Northeastern researchers with federal funding, I recommend staying the course. As with the occasional federal government shutdowns we’ve experienced, NIH funded researchers may continue to work in their laboratories while navigating these new interim restrictions. Similarly, I’d encourage NSF-funded researchers to continue their work as we seek clarity on how the pause will impact operations. I’m not trying to minimize the inconvenience this brings to our scientists. However, we’re operating with an understanding that these freezes are temporary.
The Northeastern team has strong relationships on Capitol Hill and within the funding agencies; I was just on the phone with an NIH staffer on Monday. We’re actively engaging on this issue to make sure we’re on top of developments and we’re advocating for our interests.
The new administration’s focus on immigration policy was also not a surprise. In addition to our guidance in December, Northeastern has been in regular contact with our international students and faculty advising them on their rights and on travel to and from the United States. If anyone on our campuses is contacted by an immigration enforcement official, we recommend that they immediately reach out to the Office of the General Counsel. Our colleagues in OGC are ready.
Our values aren’t going to change. We’re an institution that embraces a culture of belonging, because we know that having a diversity of backgrounds and experiences make us better at teaching, at research, at solving the world’s problems. The methods we use to achieve those goals may need to be adjusted, though — partly because we’re always looking for the best way to meet our goals, and partly because we need to continue to comply with the law.
I realize many of these issues are polarizing. And change can be difficult. But while we won’t ever waver from our values, we don’t want to jeopardize any federal program that impacts our students or put vital research at risk. We have an obligation to the entire Northeastern community to make sure our work can continue.