Oregon State University has stepped into the national spotlight to support a Harvard University lawsuit against the federal administration. 

According to Rob Odom, vice president for University Relations and Marketing, OSU has joined 23 other U.S. research universities in filing an amicus brief in support of Harvard’s lawsuit against the government for freezing research funding tied to alleged viewpoint discrimination, sent in a university-wide email on June 10. 

“The cuts will disrupt ongoing research, ruin experiments and datasets, destroy the careers of aspiring scientists, and deter long-term investments at universities across the country,” states the brief.

The amicus brief argues that cutting federal research funding threatens long-standing, mutually beneficial partnerships between the government and research universities which have progressed scientific knowledge and driven American innovation for decades. 

The potential consequences outlined in the brief underscore broader stakes for institutions like OSU. As federal action has threatened the stability of research nationwide, OSU has taken steps to defend its own researchers as well as researchers across the nation. 

“As Oregon’s leading research university, OSU has played an important role in building coalitions with peer universities and others to advocate on behalf of the university’s mission and higher education as a whole,” Odom wrote. 

In his letter, Odom highlighted OSU’s history of supporting legal action to advocate for OSU students and employees, including academic freedom and free expression, immigration, tariffs, research, gender-affirming health care and access to federal student loans. 

“These actions emphasize the value of higher education and advance OSU’s land grant mission to promote economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for the people of Oregon, the nation and the world,” Odom wrote. 

According to Odom, OSU has also filed declarations in separate lawsuits – whose plaintiffs include the state of Oregon – challenging recent National Science Foundation (NSF) policies. These lawsuits include opposition to the NSF’s policies regarding a 15 percent cap on indirect cost reimbursements and the termination of certain grants, some of which impact OSU researchers. 

These lawsuits follow a recent declaration OSU submitted opposing a proposed 15 percent funding cap by the NSF – a lawsuit spearheaded by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Association of American Universities.

According to Odom, the University is continuing to monitor the “evolving federal landscape” and is in regular contact with state and federal elected representatives and officials. 

Odom identified multiple resources for the OSU community including information for navigating immigration matters, information regarding evolving research funding for principal investigators, and a contact email for academic faculty who have received stop-work orders or new federal grant certification requirements or who have experienced slow-downs in the disbursement of funds. 

“As we look forward to summer, we encourage all members of the OSU community to stay true to the university’s mission and values by remaining engaged and continuing to foster dialogue across a range of perspectives, experiences and views as we navigate these challenging times,” Odom concluded.