As you are aware, there are several changes to federal funding for higher education and science. These pressures include anticipated changes to the Federal Supplemental Research and Development (F&A) rate on federal grants and reduced funding from the federal agencies. Additionally, the University anticipates lower undergraduate and Master’s enrollments this year due to national admissions trends and challenges faced by some students in obtaining visas.

To ensure our continued support for our current PhD students and to maintain a high-quality academic experience, we will implement a few changes:

1. Starting September 1, 2025, all grant applications will be required to budget $16,000 for tuition (or the maximum allowed up to $16,000, unless a school policy requires a greater amount). This amount will increase annually in line with University tuition rates, but for budgeting purposes, assume a 2% increase each year. Grant awards active prior to September 1, 2025, as well as grant proposals submitted prior to September 1, 2025, should they be awarded, will remain exempt from tuition charges for their full duration. Your grants office can assist you in implementing this change to proposals submitted after September 1st, 2025 (ORPA Policy https://www.rochester.edu/orpa/_assets/pdf/prop_Tuition_Alloc.pdf).
2. Beginning July 1, 2026, internal university accounts will be charged the same level of tuition as external awards (including but not limited to departmental funds, endowed funds, pilot funds, and startup funds). This requirement applies only to students supported on internal university accounts. It does not affect students supported on grant awards active prior to September 1, 2025 or on grants submitted prior to September 1, 2025, should they be awarded. In addition, startup funds that already include committed graduate student support lines will receive additional funds from the appropriate School Dean to fully cover the tuition fees for those student lines that were directly committed. Specific information will be provided by the signatories (usually the School Dean) of individual commitment letters.
3. For reference, this follows the same practice as many of our peer institutions, particularly those with membership in the AAU.

In addition, there will be a significant evaluation of PhD recruitment for the 2026-2027 academic year. Over the coming months, school deans will collaborate with departments to develop specific plans for each program, particularly focused on program outcomes and supporting our current students.

The University is fully committed to PhD education and does not make these decisions lightly. These tuition charges will not result in increased charges for our graduate students. Given the current financial situation and the ongoing threat to international student recruitment, higher education, and science funding, these measures were taken to ensure financial support and continued excellence in PhD education.

Thank you for your prompt attention and continued commitment to our PhD students. If you have questions regarding these changes, please reach out to your graduate dean.

Sincerely,

Nicole S. Sampson
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
University Professor of Chemistry

Stephen Dewhurst
Vice President for Research
Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine & Dentistry

Rick Libby
Interim Vice Provost
Interim University Dean of Graduate Education

The post University Updates PhD Grant and Budget Requirements appeared first on Office of the Provost.

J. Albert (Al) C. Uy, Dean’s Professor of Biology and current chair of the Department of Biology, has been appointed interim dean of the University of Rochester’s School of Arts & Sciences. He succeeds Duje Tadin, who has served as interim dean since August 2024 and previously held the position in the summer of 2023. Uy will will begin serving as interim on September 1 and will remain in that role until a permanent dean is appointed. An announcement about the permanent dean is expected in the coming weeks.

A distinguished evolutionary biologist and elected fellow of the American Ornithological Society, Uy’s research explores the genetics, behavior, and ecology of speciation, with fieldwork spanning the Pacific Islands and the Americas. Since joining the University of Rochester in 2020, he has led the Department of Biology, served on key University committees, and advanced interdisciplinary research and conservation initiatives. Information regarding the interim chair of the Department of Biology will be available soon.

The post J. Albert (Al) C. Uy Named Interim Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences appeared first on Office of the Provost.

As you are aware, there are several changes to federal funding for higher education and science. These pressures include anticipated changes to the Federal Supplemental Research and Development (F&A) rate on federal grants and reduced funding from the federal agencies. Additionally, the University anticipates lower undergraduate and Master’s enrollments this year due to national admissions trends and challenges faced by some students in obtaining visas.

To ensure our continued support for our current PhD students and to maintain a high-quality academic experience, we will implement a few changes:

1. Starting September 1, 2025, all grant applications will be required to budget $16,000 for tuition (or the maximum allowed up to $16,000). This amount will increase annually in line with University tuition rates, but for budgeting purposes, assume a 2% increase each year. Active grants or grants already submitted are not required to charge tuition. Your grants office can assist you in implementing this change.
2. Beginning July 1, 2026, internal university accounts will be charged the same level of tuition as external awards (including but not limited to departmental funds, endowed funds, pilot funds and startup funds). School Deans will provide more information about this change in their schools over the coming year.
3. For reference, this follows the same practice as many of our peer institutions, particularly those with membership in the AAU.

In addition, there will be a significant evaluation of PhD recruitment for the 2026-2027 academic year. Over the coming months, school deans will collaborate with departments to develop specific plans for each program, particularly focused on program outcomes and supporting our current students.

The University is fully committed to PhD education and does not make these decisions lightly. These tuition charges will not result in increased charges for our graduate students. Given the current financial situation and the ongoing threat to international student recruitment, higher education, and science funding, these measures were taken to ensure financial support and continued excellence in PhD education.

Thank you for your prompt attention and continued commitment to our PhD students. If you have questions regarding these changes, please reach out to your graduate dean.

Sincerely,

Nicole S. Sampson
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
University Professor of Chemistry

Stephen Dewhurst
Vice President for Research
Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine & Dentistry

Rick Libby
Interim Vice Provost
Interim University Dean of Graduate Education

The post Grant and Tuition Changes appeared first on Office of the Provost.

These are challenging and uncertain times for all of us—at the University of Rochester and across higher education. To start, I want to acknowledge the very real stress, anxiety, and uncertainty many in our community are feeling. The evolving landscape—marked by shifts in federal funding, enrollment pressures, and broader economic concerns—has left many of us wondering how these changes will affect our work, our students, and our institution.

While we don’t yet know the full extent of these recent challenges, I want you to know that my team and I remain committed to you and to our collective mission as we navigate this moment together. I know that leadership across the institution shares that commitment. Guided by our values and the vision of our Boundless Possibility strategic plan, we will move forward with care, clarity, and a shared sense of purpose.

In order to move forward and to ensure the most successful outcomes, we are implementing the following actions and carefully monitoring the present and potential impacts of recent challenges. As we discussed in the recent webinar about federal policy changes and their impact on the University, we have taken several steps to manage our academic resources more carefully.

Spending Controls: Effective this past spring, we requested reductions in discretionary expenditures across academic and administrative units—recognizing that even small savings spread across the institution can add up significantly. In addition, we are working to ensure that proper review and approval processes are followed for all contracts.

Staffing Measures: We have instituted positional control over staff hiring with careful review of all hiring decisions, managing budget shortfalls primarily through attrition. In some areas, unfortunately, vacant positions may not be filled to maintain a budgetary balance. As President Mangelsdorf mentioned in last week’s webinar we are operating in a complex and dynamic environment—and as a complex and dynamic organization, we must continually adjust to changes in programs, policies, funding sources, and enrollment. Our workforce naturally ebbs and flows from year to year, and that variability reflects the nature of our mission and operations.

We are taking a careful, focused approach as we plan for the years ahead. This is not a one-size-fits-all situation. We are evaluating normal attrition and considering how job structures might evolve, while also creating standardized processes for how positions are proposed, approved, and managed. While changes in staffing and operations are happening, our priority remains minimizing the impact on our people and ensuring the University continues to excel in its core missions.

Faculty Hiring: We are sharply limiting faculty hiring. However, thanks to external support from foundations and philanthropic gifts, we can continue targeted searches in a few strategic areas. These externally funded hires will be the focus of our search efforts in the year ahead. The limitations in hiring do not include Medical Center clinical care operations, clinical faculty, or clinical staff.

PhD Program Enrollments: The University of Rochester Office of Graduate Education and Post-Doctoral Affairs (UGEPA) will work closely with PhD programs to evaluate the number of PhD admissions for Fall 2026. This is in response to a rapidly changing landscape that we first experienced last spring with other institutions deferring or rescinding admissions due to concerns about longer term research funding and graduate placement. To ensure financial sustainability of our doctoral programs in the face of a reduced federal F&A rate, a portion of PhD tuition will be budgeted on grant submissions as well as internal accounts for the next fiscal year, FY27.  Specific details will be provided to faculty later this week.

Coordinated Marketing and Structural Realignment: We are reorganizing our prospective student marketing functions and making additional structural changes to reduce duplication and improve efficiency. The marketing and communications staff that were once part of the Office of Admissions have been integrated into the University’s central Marketing and Communications team, ensuring that our student recruitment efforts are aligned with the many new initiatives that are being launched to build our global reputation.

Enrollment Management Redesign: We are in the process of rethinking our admissions and enrollment management structures to better meet today’s competitive landscape. Among the potential changes is a transition toward a more coordinated masters graduate program enrollment management model that will align with new admissions and recruitment activities. Planning for this transition is underway, with a phased approach designed to ensure continuity, enhance coordination, and preserve discipline-specific expertise supported by technology integration to improve effectiveness of marketing and recruitment across master’s programs. The deans will be working closely with the Offices of Academic Excellence and University Student Life to grow high-impact, mission-aligned master’s programs that respond to market needs. More details will follow in the coming weeks.

Capital Projects: We are focusing our capital investments on the highest priority building and renovation needs across the University. Our five-year Capital Outlook provides a consolidated view of current projects underway, future strategic initiatives, and ongoing investments in deferred maintenance, IT infrastructure, and equipment. This comprehensive planning helps us prioritize projects, align resources with institutional goals, and forecast long-term funding needs related to margins, philanthropy, and debt management.

Philanthropic Activities: The University achieved a new fundraising milestone in FY25, securing $202.5 million in new gift commitments—our first time surpassing the $200 million mark. This marks the third consecutive year of record-breaking fundraising during the quiet phase of our campaign and provides strong momentum as we prepare to publicly launch For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester. This success reflects the deep commitment of our donors and the outstanding work of our Advancement team.

Research Activities: Research is a core pillar of the University’s identity, and recent disruptions in federal funding present real challenges to sustaining and expanding our areas of strength. To date, we’ve seen just over 30 federal grants terminated, and very recently grants have been successfully reinstated—resulting in a current net loss of approximately $9 million from our nearly $500 million annual research portfolio. We remain committed to pursuing research excellence. Last month, President Mangelsdorf dedicated $8.5 million to establish new transdisciplinary research centers designed to unite faculty across disciplines to tackle complex, real-world challenges. These efforts enhance our competitiveness for external funding and create compelling opportunities for philanthropic investment that aligns with emerging national research priorities.

International Scholars: The federal policy environment continues to create uncertainty for international students and scholars. Like many institutions, we are experiencing a decline in international enrollment, driven by visa delays, shifting regulations, global economic pressures, and increased competition abroad.

We remain strongly committed to our international community. Our global engagement team is actively supporting students and faculty through the visa process, addressing housing needs, and advocating for policies that protect academic mobility. Global engagement is critical to our mission and a strategic priority for advancing excellence and diversity.

Recruitment and Retention: Student enrollment is a shared institutional priority, and multiple teams are advancing the goals of Boundless Possibility for exceptional education. We are increasing scholarship support, improving advising, housing, and student life, and optimizing year-round learning and cocurricular opportunities.

Additional efforts include expanding undergraduate recruitment in key domestic markets, enhancing support for transfer and international students, and promoting Rochester as a top residential destination. A targeted national campaign is underway to strengthen our reputation at every stage of the enrollment journey. To aid in these efforts, faculty participation in admitted student events, transfer articulation efforts, and other yield-building activities is more important than ever.

Thank you for your partnership and your enduring commitment to our students and the ongoing mission of the University of Rochester. These are challenging times, but with collective effort, focus, and dedication to making our world ever better, we will emerge as an even stronger institution built on academic excellence and student success.

Sincerely,

Nicole S. Sampson
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
University Professor of Chemistry

The post Academic Budget and Planning Update  appeared first on Office of the Provost.

The University is updating policies, procedures, and resources to improve support for international travelers on University-sponsored programs or business.  

Due to anticipated changes to our international travel insurance policy in December 2025 and increased geopolitical risks worldwide, all University-sponsored or supported travel, including faculty and staff business travel, must be registered through the University of Rochester International Travel Registry at least two weeks in advance. Registration enables the University to provide support during emergency response, and it is a critical step to ensuring travelers can access university-provided resources, such as international travel insurance and assistance, abroad. The process is simple, takes only a few minutes, and may be completed by the traveler or a department administrator or other staff member (“proxy registration”).  

Although registration is now required, faculty and staff travel will remain unrestricted. Registration does not initiate a review process and serves only as a visibility and record-keeping tool to enable critical support capabilities. Additionally, the University does not oversee personal travel; this element will remain unchanged. However, resources such as location-specific safety and security reports are available to anyone with Active Directory credentials and a password, and those resources may be referenced regardless of the purpose of travel.  

The U.S. Dept. of State, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other resources posted on the Office for Global Engagement website are also valuable sources of travel information that should be reviewed prior to international travel. 

Thank you for your cooperation and support of these important policies. 

Sincerely, 

Nicole S. Sampson
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
University Professor of Chemistry 

Ravi Shankar
Interim Vice Provost for Global Engagement 

The post University Announces International Travel Registration appeared first on Office of the Provost.

As a key member of the Enrollment division senior management team, Ryan will lead initiatives that strengthen Rochester’s position as a leading independent research university—one of the few institutions that meets demonstrated financial need and offers merit scholarships, including for international students.

“Megan is an exceptional addition to our team,” said Robert Alexander, vice provost and university dean of enrollment. “Her collaborative leadership style, analytical approach, and commitment to student success align perfectly with Rochester’s values and vision, and her understanding of contemporary admissions practices and market trends will be instrumental in achieving the University’s enrollment goals. I’m also deeply grateful for the interim leadership that Sam Veeder, associate vice provost and university director of financial aid, provided the Admissions Office during this past cycle.”

Ryan brings extensive experience, most recently serving as vice president for enrollment management at Muhlenberg College, where she achieved sustained enrollment growth and grew application volume by 20% in three years. Ryan has led and mentored teams across the Offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Institutional Effectiveness, fostering a high-performance, growth-focused culture centered on relationship development and enrollment success.

Prior to her role at Muhlenberg, Ryan served as interim vice president for enrollment and as executive director of admissions and financial aid at Allegheny College, and as associate director of admission at Carnegie Mellon University. Ryan’s academic credentials include graduate degrees from Carnegie Mellon the National University of Ireland, and a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ryan has held leadership roles within the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC) and contributed to the broader enrollment profession through service to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Common App, and other national organizations. Through these associations, Ryan has advanced best practices in enrollment management, and fostered collaboration and professional development across the higher education community.

“I’m drawn to Rochester by its institutional mission and commitment to Meliora values,” Ryan said. “I am a firm believer in striving to be ever better and bring this approach to building teams and enrollment strategies every day. As a Rochester native, I know well the role the University plays as an educational leader in the region, and as a national presence in research and impact.”

Ryan will begin her role on July 30, and will lead and develop a large and dynamic admissions team to identify, recruit, and enroll students who embody the University’s mission, advance institutional goals, and provide transformative educational opportunities to outstanding students.

The post Megan Ryan Named Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment appeared first on Office of the Provost.

Establishing new transdisciplinary centers is also a key indicator of success for Boundless Possibility, the University’s 2030 strategic plan. Creating centers and institutes that are unique to Rochester in areas where the University can conduct consequential research is part of a commitment to leveraging the University’s distinctive strengths to reinvigorate its research ecosystem.

“I want to thank all our faculty who participated in this process for sharing their ideas, strengthening our institutional connections, and shaping the future of research at the University,” Mangelsdorf said. “It’s clear that the spirit of innovation and collaboration is alive and well at Rochester. Each project represents ideas and frontiers that have great potential and deserve our attention and support.”

The four newly funded centers are poised to explore urgent and emerging questions that demand collaborative inquiry and bold thinking:

SoundSpace

Award: $4 million over five years

Combining Rochester’s strengths in music, engineering, and science, Soundspace will push artistic and technical boundaries while exploring the intersection of music, sound, and technology. The team will focus on developing a best-in-class hub for research, education, performance, and public engagement.

Extended Reality Research and Application (EXTRRA)

Award: $2 million over five years

Focusing on extended reality—virtual reality, augmented reality, and everything in between—EXTRRA integrates optics, computing, neuroscience, and education to develop immersive platforms that improve learning, accessibility, and workforce training. Its vision is to reshape how individuals engage with digital and natural environments.

University of Rochester Resilience Research Center (UR³C)

Award: $2 million over five years

The faculty members behind UR³C are studying the “ordinary magic” that enables some people to recover and thrive following adversity faster or better than others. They aim to identify the sociocultural factors and other mechanisms that perpetuate stress-related health issues, enabling the development of novel interventions that prevent or reverse those conditions.

Center for Coherence and Quantum Science (CCQS)

Award: $500,000 over two years

A group of University scientists and engineers aim to advance quantum technologies through light-matter interaction. By pooling their skills and resources, they are pushing the frontiers of quantum science and classical coherence while also enabling practical application within optical science and optical engineering.

Big bets and a bold initiative

The creation of these centers comes at a pivotal time for research universities. In a shifting landscape of public trust and funding constraints, Rochester is betting on transdisciplinary research.

Going beyond cross-disciplinary scholarship, transdisciplinary research requires faculty to work in a way that builds on each other’s ideas to reshape their respective fields or create a new one altogether.

To ignite the kind of research that would drive discovery while strengthening the University’s service to humanity and national standing, the Office of the Provost, in cooperation with Office of the Vice President of Research, created a multi-phase proposal process. In April 2024, the provost’s office issued a request for proposals to receive one-year planning grants, garnering an impressive 42 submissions. An anonymous committee of 10 distinguished scholars from across the University, Steve Dewhurst, the vice president for research, and then-provost David Figlio, chose 10 proposals.

Narrowing the field was simply a matter of resources. Dewhurst explains that if we try to fund too many ideas “No one will ever get enough money to do something distinctive,” adding that “If we pick too few, we’re placing our bets too narrowly.”

Phase two of the process sought comprehensive proposals—including those from teams who did not receive planning grants—for funding to establish a new transdisciplinary center or institute. All 10 planning grant recipients and three additional teams submitted plans for competitive review. Nearly 60 evaluations from external reviewers, along with input from a faculty panel and deans led to the selection of Soundspace, EXTRRA, UR³C, and CCQS.

A model for future investment

The transdisciplinary research initiative is the first time the University has ever used input from external experts to determine funding for large-scale internal research and scholarship across the institution. In addition to phase-two feedback, four external reviewers—all members of the National Academies and representing distinct scholarly domains—were invited to sit in on the four awardees’ final presentations on June 9, and to provide feedback on each of the proposals.

“This initiative is about building our global reputation through transdisciplinary research,” said Nicole Sampson, the provost of the University of Rochester. “By engaging external reviewers, we sought to spread the word about the fantastic research and education happening at Rochester ever further.”

The reviewers:

Health/Climate

Jony Kipnis, Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology

Washington University in St. Louis

Natural Sciences

Richard Alley, Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences

Penn State University

Social Sciences/Humanities

John Aldrich ’75 (PhD), Pfizer-Pratt University Professor of Political Science

Duke University

Tech/Engineering

Howard Stone, Neil A. Omenn ’68 University Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Princeton University

Aldrich expressed how glad he was to have played a part in the process. “I can’t overstate what a wonderful idea this is,” he said. “The courage and commitment of the leadership team to do something bold in research right now is inspiring.”

More information on this process can be found on the provost’s website. You can also learn about all 10 planning grant recipients on the Boundless Possibility blog, Better Things.

The post Four transdisciplinary teams awarded multi-year funding appeared first on Office of the Provost.

I am writing to provide an update to my April 22 message about town halls and other resources to support our international community.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in this week’s webinars aimed at supporting our international community. The turnout was truly impressive, with over 1,000 people registering for the town hall sessions. Your engagement and dedication to our international students, faculty, researchers, and staff are deeply appreciated.

I am also pleased to share some positive news: three of our students have had their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) status reinstated. These reinstatements occurred even as the Department of Justice announced a large-scale reversal of revocations in federal court this morning. The situation is still unfolding and only a few of our students affected by this procedure have had their status reinstated as of 2 p.m. today.

We are hopeful for continued progress for our remaining students given this announcement, and ISO will continue to monitor the SEVIS records and reach out to impacted students with updates.

We understand that these are uncertain times, and we remain committed to offering as much information and guidance as possible to support our international community. We will continue to host similar events and provide necessary resources as the situation evolves.

Thank you once again for your participation and support. I wish you all a wonderful Springfest weekend.

Meliora,

Nicole S. Sampson
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
University Professor of Chemistry

The post Update on Support for Our International Community appeared first on Office of the Provost.