This petition is intended for current or future National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows and others to voice their concerns regarding proposed policy changes. Please also consider joining the Facebook group "NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Policy Change Discussion Forum," which has a Q&A sheet from university administrators on the changes.
The proposed changes would prevent fellowship recipients from having any kind of employment (including teaching) and from receiving other federal fellowships. This would prevent Fellows from teaching with top professors at our respective institutions, and from doing cutting edge professional work as part of our graduate school experience. For many of us, these changes are being introduced mid-stream in the Fellowship and disrupt current employment and teaching plans.
More specifically, the policy changes would have the following impact:
1) Starting in the academic year 2011, no employment will be allowed during the NSF tenure, with the exception of NSF approved off-site internships or research experiences requiring travel. Fellows wanting to teach or to receive support on a research assistantship will need to be on reserve status or will need to forfeit the stipend during the time of employment.
2) Starting in the academic year 2011, the GRFP fellowship cannot be accepted concurrently with another Federal fellowship. In other words, it will not be possible to accept both the GRFP and another Federal fellowship (such as NDSEG), then put the GRFP on reserve for two years and while you receive the other Federal fellowship funding.
Also, general email for the NSF GRFP is
grfp@nsf.gov We are writing as students who have received National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships to express our deep concern and disappointment about recent policy changes proposed for the Fellowship.
Because of the new restrictions introduced on employment and teaching, the policy changes will make it more difficult for us, as Fellows, to achieve our academic goals. For example, these changes will prevent Fellows from teaching with top professors at our respective institutions, and from doing cutting edge professional work as part of our graduate school experience. For many of us, these changes are being introduced mid-stream in the Fellowship and disrupt current employment and teaching plans.
Although we appreciate NSF's funding support, we do not believe that it is in the interest of NSF to limit the ability of Graduate Research Fellows to reach our full potential in our graduate programs and in our careers. We do not support the changes, and respectfully request that the new policies be withdrawn.
Thank you for your time and attention on this serious matter.
