January 2025

January 2025

Happy New Year, everyone—I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather after a long cold spell.

The new gubernatorial and federal administrations recently made several announcements affecting how we do business. IU’s leadership is actively working to understand these announcements and determine how they may affect faculty, staff, and students.

I have three key messages to navigate the current state of affairs:

  • Until we receive guidance from official sources, such as university leadership, we will continue our work as usual. Many unknowns remain about how policies and potential laws will be implemented, and there is often a gap between what is discussed at an initial press conference and what is formalized into law.
  • Make sure to gather information about changes to grants, policies, or programs at IU from trusted, primary sources. (See the links below.) Avoid relying on headlines, social media, friends, and so on.
  • Please use the Feedback Form to send questions, concerns, or specific examples of how these recent developments impact your teaching and/or research.

Federal government funding freezes

On Monday, January 27, the Office of Management and Budget ordered federal agencies to stop expenditures for new grants and other funding. However, a federal judge has suspended that order. So, as of right now, there is no impact on IU. Stay tuned to official university channels for any changes.

IU Research maintains a list of all official communications related to agency operations that could impact IU researchers.

If your research is impacted, please let us know (grant freezes, canceled review meetings, etc.) by submitting it via the Feedback Form so that we can provide OVPR with specific, concrete examples.

Immigration and visa updates

Expect visa processing delays. The IU Global Office is the primary source of information for all things related to immigration and visa updates. They maintain an accurate, up-to-date webpage for the entire IU community.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs

Several executive orders and proposed bills at both the state and federal levels will impact our DEI programs. We don’t yet fully understand the scope of these actions, but we are monitoring them closely. We anticipate changes in the laws that will require us to adjust our practices. Until we receive clear guidance from university leadership, we will maintain our current programs without changes.

IU University Relations webinar

If you want to learn more, the University Relations office is hosting a webinar on February 7, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. They will provide updates on the 2025 Indiana Budget Session and Braun administration and the 119th Congress and Trump administration. Register to attend.

Our mission at the Luddy School remains unchanged, and we will continue to advance our values: society-centered science and technology, thought leadership, excellence and integrity, belongingness, and teamwork and transparency. Thank you for all the work you do to contribute to these values.

Joanna Millunchick
Dean
Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering