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Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Tuesday released results of his inquiries to 113 colleges and universities about their use of federally appropriated funds, part of his ongoing crusade against excessive earmarking in spending bills.
Noting that higher education tuition costs continue to rise -- on average doubling between 1986 and 2003 -- Coburn said taxpayers should have a right to know how universities were spending their money. "American taxpayers have been generous supporters of higher education and they have a right to know whether federal research dollars should be allocated on the basis of merit or political considerations," he said in a statement.
Of the 113 institutions Coburn requested information from -- in his capacity as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Federal Financial Management Subcommittee -- 60 have complied. Another 10 told him they were preparing to comply, while 38 simply ignored his request, Coburn said.
"Ignoring this letter is also deeply insulting to students and their families who are being asked to finance skyrocketing tuition costs and burdensome loan repayment schedules," he said. He said he might haul in offenders to public hearings if they continue to be unresponsive. Schools that did not comply range from the University of Pennsylvania to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
The 60 who did respond include some big names, like Harvard, Duke and MIT, and some lesser-known institutions such as Aurora University, located in House Speaker Hastert's hometown of Aurora, Ill.
For example Harvard said while it received $507.9 million in peer-reviewed research grants in FY05, "we do not seek 'earmark' appropriations and do not engage any outside lobbyist to do so our behalf," the university replied in a letter to Coburn. MIT said earmarks have a "potentially corrosive effect on the scientific research capabilities of national research institutions."
Others, such as the University of Michigan, acknowledged a number of earmarks while stipulating that the school generally does not seek earmarks and those it receives are a very small percentage of total federal funds.
Michigan's response noted a series of earmarks in Defense bills over the past five years for the Automotive Research Center consortium it heads with other institutions to explore "critical development of a realistic interactive simulation network for designing large complex automotive systems, and promotes technical interaction between the defense and civilian automotive sectors."
Other Michigan earmarks include for the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Biomedical Science Research Building.
Some institutions that replied were not entirely forthcoming. The University of Missouri suggested he contact the General Services Administration, other specific agencies or the House and Senate Appropriations committees for information about specific projects. "All appropriations can be accessed publicly," states the tersely worded letter.
Noting that higher education tuition costs continue to rise -- on average doubling between 1986 and 2003 -- Coburn said taxpayers should have a right to know how universities were spending their money. "American taxpayers have been generous supporters of higher education and they have a right to know whether federal research dollars should be allocated on the basis of merit or political considerations," he said in a statement.
Of the 113 institutions Coburn requested information from -- in his capacity as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Federal Financial Management Subcommittee -- 60 have complied. Another 10 told him they were preparing to comply, while 38 simply ignored his request, Coburn said.
"Ignoring this letter is also deeply insulting to students and their families who are being asked to finance skyrocketing tuition costs and burdensome loan repayment schedules," he said. He said he might haul in offenders to public hearings if they continue to be unresponsive. Schools that did not comply range from the University of Pennsylvania to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
The 60 who did respond include some big names, like Harvard, Duke and MIT, and some lesser-known institutions such as Aurora University, located in House Speaker Hastert's hometown of Aurora, Ill.
For example Harvard said while it received $507.9 million in peer-reviewed research grants in FY05, "we do not seek 'earmark' appropriations and do not engage any outside lobbyist to do so our behalf," the university replied in a letter to Coburn. MIT said earmarks have a "potentially corrosive effect on the scientific research capabilities of national research institutions."
Others, such as the University of Michigan, acknowledged a number of earmarks while stipulating that the school generally does not seek earmarks and those it receives are a very small percentage of total federal funds.
Michigan's response noted a series of earmarks in Defense bills over the past five years for the Automotive Research Center consortium it heads with other institutions to explore "critical development of a realistic interactive simulation network for designing large complex automotive systems, and promotes technical interaction between the defense and civilian automotive sectors."
Other Michigan earmarks include for the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Biomedical Science Research Building.
Some institutions that replied were not entirely forthcoming. The University of Missouri suggested he contact the General Services Administration, other specific agencies or the House and Senate Appropriations committees for information about specific projects. "All appropriations can be accessed publicly," states the tersely worded letter.
