Today, the Senate confirmed Penny Pritzker as Secretary of Commerce by a vote of 97-1.
Pritzker, a member of the family that owns Hyatt Hotels, was the national finance chairwoman of President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and the national co-chairwoman of his reelection campaign.
The Commerce Department is comprised of of 12 different agencies responsible for everything from weather forecasts to patent protection, including:
Today, the Supreme Court came out with its ruling on the case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin that lower courts did not apply a sufficiently high level of scrutiny to the University of Texas’s use of race in admissions decisions, sending the case back to one of those lower courts to be reconsidered.
In a 7-1 ruling, the court found that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit erred in not applying “strict scrutiny” to the policies of the University of Texas at Austin (UT). The Supreme Court left intact its precedent that diversity can be a compelling government interest.The case has been sent back to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Writing the majority opinion was Justice Kennedy, who was joined by all of the conservative members of the court and Justice Sotomayer. Justice Ginsberg wrote the lone dissent. Justice Kagan recused herself because of her work on the case as Solicitor General.
The case was brought by Abigail Fisher, a white woman, who was rejected for admission by the UT. Fisher said that her rights were violated by UT’s consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions decisions. Fisher’s lawyers argued that UT need not consider race because it has found another way to assure diversity in the student body.
The decision said that “good faith” by the university would not be enough to justify the consideration of race. However, the decision does not offer an opinion on whether UT can produce sufficient evidence. Rather, it faults the appeals court for not reviewing that question using the high bar of “strict scrutiny” for the consideration of race.
It is likely that today’s ruling could mean that — after another round at the Fifth Circuit — the case could return to the Supreme Court.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is currently accepting applications for its Fall 2013 Student Volunteer Program. The application deadline is 11:59pm EST Friday, June 28th. Students who are U.S. citizens and who will be actively enrolled during the Fall 2013 semester are welcome to apply.
Click here for more information about OSTP and application instructions.
About OSTP
The Office of Science and Technology Policy advises the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The office serves as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans and programs of the Federal Government.
About the Student Volunteer Program
Student Volunteers are accepted for one of three annual terms (Spring, Summer, or Fall), each of which last no more than 90 days. While these positions are without compensation, the assignments provide educational enrichment, practical work experience, and network opportunities with other individuals in the science and technology policy arena.
For questions, please contact Rebecca Grimm rgrimm@ostp.eop.gov.
The Geological Society of America (GSA) is seeking applicants for its Science Policy Fellowship Program. The fellowship provides a recent MS or PhD recipient the opportunity to work in the GSA Washington Office for one year. The fellow works with the GSA Director for Geoscience Policy to participate in a range of science-policy activities. The fellow will attend congressional meetings and hearings, agency briefings, seminars, and coalition sessions and will develop communication methods to disseminate this information to GSA members. The fellow will also participate in GSA programs.
The fellow will receive a competitive stipend and healthcare stipend. Funds are also available for fellowship-related travel. The start date is flexible, and could be as early as 1 August 2013. Interested candidates should send a cover letter, CV/resume, writing sample, and list of three references to Kasey White at kwhite@geosociety.org. Consideration of applications will begin July 1, 2013.
During his State of the Union address last night, President Obama announced a new College Scorecard that would help students and parents make better decisions about which college to attend. The College Scorecard allows you to enter the name of a college of interest or select factors that are important in any college search. You can find scorecards for colleges based on factors such as programs or majors offered, location, and enrollment size.
According to the administration’s College Scorecard, the University of Washington, including UW-Tacoma and UW-Bothell, all “score” exceptionally well compared to other post-secondary institutions in Washington state. This validates what we have been saying for a long time: the UW offers great value and a great education for Washington state residents!