Michigan Tech Hires Washington Federal Relations Firm

Federal Science Partners gives Tech a voice in Washington, D.C.
Federal Science Partners gives Tech a voice in Washington, D.C.

Michigan Technological University has a new face in Washington.  The University has signed an agreement with Federal Science Partners (FSP) to do federal governmental relations for Michigan Tech.   The veteran Washington lobbyists will represent Tech’s interests in key federal policy initiatives, proposed legislation and government regulatory activities.  

They will work with the University on its relations with federal agencies, particularly by providing advance notice of federal initiatives and funding and by helping make Michigan Tech’s faculty, staff and students more visible in Washington.

The six-month agreement will give Michigan Tech and FSP a chance to explore ways in which the Washington, D.C.-based agency can support the University in federal research funding and regulatory matters, while giving Michigan Tech a voice in the nation’s capital.  A longer-term relationship will be defined by July 1, 2015.

The new partnership follows recommendations made last July in a report from Tech’s Government Affairs Task Force. The task force was charged with reviewing and developing options for Michigan Tech’s federal relations in light of the University’s increasing research activities and the changing federal climate.   

The nine-member task force consisted of research faculty, heads of research centers and institutes, and administrators including David Reed, vice president for research, and John Lehman, associate vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications.   They benchmarked Michigan Tech against 51 other institutions that reported similar federal research expenditures in fiscal year 2012.

In their report, the task force noted that federal governmental relations involves an ongoing dialog with federal government officials and agencies. It calls for promoting University faculty and research staff to federal agencies as technical or policy experts and finding opportunities for them to testify before Congressional committees, as well as encouraging key federal officials to visit University research sites, providing input on policy issues, and keeping the University informed of upcoming legislation, funding or regulatory action that might impact Michigan Tech.

“It is especially important that the campus community be kept informed of upcoming federal initiatives well in advance of funding announcements, so that Michigan Tech can develop a proactive strategy for working with federal agencies rather than just reacting after the fact,” said President Glenn Mroz.

Based on Michigan Tech’s remote physical location, the difficulty of travel in winter months and the successful growth of federally funded research programs, the task force recommended that the University establish a Washington, D.C. presence to support federal relations activities.

“A successful federal relations effort should increase federal research funding as well as faculty, staff and student interactions with federal agencies,” said David Reed, vice president for research.  “It should enable Michigan Tech to participate with other universities as an advocate for legislative policy decisions and agency-based research opportunities.”

Dale Tahtinen, vice president for governmental relations and secretary to the Board of Trustees, will continue to manage the University’s relationships with the Michigan delegation in the House and Senate in Washington as well as in Lansing.  He will work closely with FSP, as will Reed, said Mroz.

FSP will be visiting Michigan Tech to tour research facilities and to meet with key personnel including deans, center and institute directors and vice presidents.  After that visit, FSP will work with Tech to identify two to four research areas that might justify future collaboration.

FSP and the University will also identify one major research initiative for the Washington agency to develop a strategy for interaction between Tech and relevant federal agencies.   FSP will also help the Office of Research Development arrange a trip to D.C. for newer faculty to visit federal funding agencies.  The trip is tentatively planned for May. 

FSP’s partners, Meg Thompson and Joel Widder, are the veteran Washington lobbyists who have partnered to establish FSP. Thompson has held senior staff positions on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Widder is the former deputy director for legislative and public affairs at the National Science Foundation.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.