University of Michigan Interim President Domenico Grasso testified Thursday during a U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing about potential foreign threats to higher education.
The Trump administration has made it a priority to conduct sharper scrutiny into colleges’ ties with foreign funding sources.
The University of Michigan is under investigation by the administration over disclosures of foreign gifts. That followed three UM students from China who were charged with smuggling biological materials into the United States. The materials turned out to be small, transparent worms.
The charges against the students were dropped, though the investigation into the university is still ongoing.
Grasso said the university worked with federal law enforcement to terminate work visas and sever ties with the students involved.
During his testimony, Grasso said that U of M is committed to supporting research partnerships and protecting the nation's security against potential threats.
“Housing some of the world's greatest minds makes the University of Michigan a potential target of threats, such as research espionage, unauthorized technology transfer, and foreign talent recruitment programs,” Grasso testified.
To address this, he said U of M developed a comprehensive research security and compliance program, which includes risk management for international collaborations, mandatory training, and data security protocols to ensure secure and safe research.
Grasso said that U of M is expanding background checks and increasing oversight of biological materials entering or leaving university labs.
“We stand committed to protecting the interests and security of the United States,” Grasso continued. He said this commitment was reflected in U of M’s decision to end a partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University after five Chinese students in the joint program were charged over suspicious activities and alleged espionage outside Camp Grayling, a remote military base.
In response to questioning about whether the university is conducting an audit to determine if there was intellectual property or federally-funded research that was compromised, Grasso said U of M did not perform one. He said the students were not researchers, and did not have access to U of M research.
Grasso said the university is working to partner more closely with federal intelligence to ensure visa requirements for international students are better vetted.
During the hearing, Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici argued that the greatest threat facing students today is not foreign influence in higher education, but affordability.
“Students and families are being forced to take out crushing loans that may take them decades to repay,” she said.
The Trump administration recently announced that the responsibility of managing federal student loans would be transferred from the Education Department to the Treasury Department, another move in its effort to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
Editor's note: The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
