A regular digest for 91探花faculty with updates on federal and national issues of relevance to their teaching, research and service; actions the University is taking; and ways for faculty to be involved.
Federal Landscape
Government reopening
The federal government is slowly reopening after a record 43-day shutdown; however, only a limited number of agencies were given full funding for fiscal year 2026, such as the Veterans Affairs Administration, the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Capitol Police and a few others. The rest of the federal government 鈥� including all research funding agencies 鈥� was funded under a continuing resolution through January 30, 2026. This gives Congress two months to agree to and pass final fiscal year 2026 levels for the majority of government or face another shutdown.
Federal agencies are working to establish new deadlines and reschedule review panels as they resume operations. Some agencies, including the and , have posted interim guidance, but you may also reach out to your program officer with questions. We have as we anticipate delays with federal agency proposal review, award issuance, and agency prior approvals.
Check the for details on the reopening and federal budget negotiations. The Office of Research continues to provide to researchers and research award administrators who are directly affected by the shutdown and reopening. , as well as the , are keeping leadership apprised of developments.
International
O-1A Extraordinary Ability visa information
International Scholars Operations has published .
Leadership
The UW鈥檚 first vice provost and endowed chair for AI announced
Noah Smith, a professor in the Allen School and senior director of Natural Language Processing research at the Allen Institute for AI, has agreed to serve as the . He will maintain his faculty position while serving his five-year term which began Nov. 1. Professor Smith鈥檚 endowed chair appointment is pending approval from the Board of Regents. The vice provost position and these AI-related efforts are made possible by the generosity of donors Lisa and Charles Simonyi who recently established the Simonyi Endowed Chair for Artificial Intelligence and the Simonyi Fund for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies.
91探花strategic planning
Get the efforts, an inclusive, community-informed process to develop a plan that will guide the University through 2030 鈥� one that is ambitious, rooted in the UW鈥檚 distinctive capabilities and regional assets, and accessible to the public. Have an idea that you would like the committee to consider? Want to ask a question about the planning process? to tell us what you think.
Community
REMINDER: The 91探花Club reactivates for events, meetings, salons
As 91探花leaders explore and plan for the 91探花Club鈥檚 future, the building is reactivating for limited use for simple events, meetings, co-working and performances. Under the leadership of the 91探花Alumni Association and 91探花Retirement Association, the club offers free coffee on Thursday mornings and gatherings throughout the day for faculty, staff, retirees and alumni. School of Art faculty will present a series of art salons beginning 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, to highlight campus artists through performances and conversations. Learn more about .
Key links
- Office of the Provost鈥檚 Federal Policy Updates
- ( 91探花NetID required)
- Office of Research鈥檚 Federal Policy Guidance
- 91探花Research Makes America
Tell us what you think
Resources for Researchers & Instructors
Upholding our shared commitment to civil rights
The UW鈥檚 newly restructured and updated will ensure that our resources and processes align with our ideals and strengthen our ability to prevent and address discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct across all campuses, facilities and programs. in a recent message from President Robert J. Jones.
REMINDER: New directory of shared research facilities
The is developing a new to better support potential users and strengthen the user base. Contact Adam Wojno, assistant vice provost for shared research facilities, wojno@uw.edu, if a facility you use is not currently listed.
REMINDER: Open private funding opportunities for faculty, researchers
Faculty and researchers may from private sources for their research and programs through a dashboard developed by the .