BALTIMORE — As uncertainty regarding federal government funding continues to weigh on the state of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University has taken action that will "shore up" finances.
In a letter sent to the Johns Hopkins community Monday, university leadership said that annual pay increases have been paused, staff hiring has been frozen, capital projects at the university have slowed down and spending toward expenses like travel, food, supplies, and professional services will be reduced.
Officials say that the university has seen continued research grant terminations, suspensions, and delays.
In March, Johns Hopkins reported that it lost $800 million from USAID grant terminations, and since January, has had 90 grants terminated by other agencies, which resulted in the loss of $50 million in federal funding research, with terminations coming almost every week.
Following the announcement of the grant terminations, the university furloughed over 200 Maryland jobs, which was a part of 2,000 jobs being cut across 44 countries.
There is also a decline in federal research awards at JHU, showing awards being down by nearly two-thirds since January despite continued high scores and an increase in research submissions.
Officials with the university fear that as the downward trend continues, the groundwork could be laying for deep cuts to extramural research programs at the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, and Department of Energy.
School officials also said the Johns Hopkins community is "deeply concerned" with the current administration revoking or withholding visas from eligible international students.
In early April, the university told WMAR that about a dozen Hopkins graduate students and recent graduates were impacted.
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Concern is also mounting in reference to proposed actions that are gaining steam in Congress that will "seriously impair their ability to carry out their mission," including a proposed cap on the reimbursement rate for research-related facilities and administrative costs, which threatens federal research funding by more than $300 million annually.
That cap could affect the proposed increase in the endowment tax, which could impact student financial aid and faculty support funds; proposed cuts to Medicaid and proposed cuts to the federal Grad PLUS loan program and Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for medical residents.
School officials say the university is making changes that are focused on preserving funds to protect its workforce as final federal budgets are still being waited on.
"We know that these are uncertain times, and we appreciate your unwavering commitment to research, teaching, and clinical care; to academic excellence; and to the well-being of the Hopkins community. Together, with transparency, resilience, and compassion, we will continue to uphold our mission and advance our vital work," school officials said.
