Dear Members of the USF Community,
As the new administration in Washington, D.C., continues to issue a flurry of executive orders and agency directives, many of which affect the critical work of U.S. colleges and universities, USF is tracking the changes and coordinating closely with peer institutions and advisers in Washington. There is a significant lack of clarity in many of the proposed policy changes, and in some cases, courts have already acted swiftly to pause implementation.
Along with members of the cabinet, I am committed to providing updates as information that affects our community becomes available. Above all, I call on us all to recommit to the Jesuit values that guide our work together. Our mission to serve others, care for our community and our common home, and nurture the whole person continues to be our priority.
Your academic and scholarly work and activities should continue uninterrupted as we monitor announcements, assess risk, and prepare for any policy changes that may survive legal challenges and eventually affect higher education institutions like ours. USF is in compliance with the law as we persist with our academic, research, and co-curricular activities.
As you know, recent administration actions, in addition to executive orders, have taken aim at federal research funding and other areas. Last Friday, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a “Dear Colleague” letter prohibiting all race-conscious activities, programming, and spending at educational institutions. The OCR letter represents a sweeping interpretation of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), which prohibited affirmative action in college admissions. It is important to note that the SFFA decision applied to college admissions specifically, not to other initiatives like student programming, graduation ceremonies, housing, or other areas called out in the letter. To reiterate: we are following the law and there have been no changes to the law.
I am pleased to announce the formation of the USF Federal Updates Task Force, which has been charged with: monitoring proposed policy changes that may affect USF; supporting me and the cabinet; and making recommendations on appropriate responses. The task force members are:
- David Philpott, associate vice president for labor and employee relations and compensation in the Office of General Counsel, who serves as chair
- Angie Davis, assistant vice president for content strategy in the Office of Marketing Communications
- Vanessa Gamache, assistant dean of students and director of case management in the Division of Student Life
- Martha Peugh-Wade, associate vice president for compliance in the Office of General Counsel
- Anastasia Vrachnos, vice provost for global education, immersions, and strategic initiatives in the Office of the Provost
Additional colleagues across campus may join the task force as we coordinate efforts to focus our priorities in keeping with our mission and values. The task force can be reached at federalupdates@usfca.edu.
Finally, let me be clear: USF remains committed to supporting our entire community as we closely monitor federal policy and partner with legal and higher education advisers, including the government relations team at the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) in Washington, D.C. USF leadership will continue to provide timely and relevant updates to our community as we navigate these important times together in a measured, thoughtful way. Amidst it all, we look to our vision, mission, and Jesuit values as our north star. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to who we are and what we do at the University of San Francisco.
Sincerely,
John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J.
Interim President
Chancellor and Chief Mission Officer