State Department Improves Transparency of Foreign Funding in U.S. Higher Education

President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14282, “Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities,” requires improved interagency efforts to safeguard America’s students and research from foreign exploitation.  Accordingly, the U.S. Department of State announced today that, under a new interagency partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) will provide vital support in administering Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.  The partnership will enhance U.S. national security by improving the accuracy and transparency of American colleges’ and universities’ reporting of foreign gifts and contracts.

Established through an interagency cooperation agreement signed by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers and Department of Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent, this partnership leverages the State Department’s expertise in national security and foreign-national academic admissions.  As a result, data gathered from the Section 117 reporting portal can be easily used by national security experts and the public, ensuring the Department of State is able to address potential threats and protect vital interests decisively and proactively.  Section 117 of the Higher Education Act obligates U.S. colleges and universities to disclose gifts and contracts from a foreign source that in combination total $250,000 or more in a calendar year.  

Learn more from the Department of Education by reading the press release and the fact sheet.