Indiana University spent around $440,000 last year lobbying the federal government on issues ranging from its defense partnerships to artificial intelligence research to campus hazing legislation, among a wide range of other topics.
The lobbying expenses, reported through quarterly disclosures, reflect a slight increase from the $410,000 the university spent in 2023. IU was the third-highest spending university in Indiana last year, following Purdue University ($620,000) and University of Notre Dame ($540,000). Ball State University was the only other Indiana college to record federal lobbying activity, spending $60,000.
Still, IU’s federal lobbying spending is mild compared to many other Big Ten schools. The University of California system, which includes the Big Ten’s UCLA, spent by far the highest on lobbying, almost $2.2 million last year.
IU’s spending on federal lobbying efforts has steadily increased over the last five years — except for 2021, when the university spent $20,000 less than the year before. Aaron Dusso, associate professor of political science at IU Indianapolis, said this is a trend common with most universities across the country over the past decades.
That’s because state and federal support of universities has dwindled year after year, he said.
“There’s a smaller pot of money available, and so once you have that smaller pot becoming available, there’s a lot more competition for it,” Dusso said.
Colleges and universities can lobby Congress and federal agencies in several ways. First, they might hire their own lobbyists to work in Washington. According to IU’s disclosures, the university employed two in-house lobbyists last year, Doug Wasitis and Molly Connor, who work for the IU Office of Federal Relations. Wasitis has worked for IU Federal Relations since 2005, and Connor served as an appointed student member of the IU Board of Trustees from 2019-2021.
Universities can also hire already existing lobbying firms to lobby on their behalf — Notre Dame, for instance, employed two outside lobbying firms last year. Many institutions also join associations that lobby Congress on behalf of a group of institutions, like the Association of American Universities and the American Council on Education.
However, lobbying activity doesn’t always mean taking a stance on legislation or advocating for specific government action. Lobbying activity could also mean providing expertise to members of Congress on higher education issues or updating federal agencies on the university’s initiatives.
“There’s this kind of reciprocal relationship that happens between members of Congress, their staff and the lobbying organizations,” Dusso said, “no matter what industry they’re in.”
The Lobbying Disclosure Act requires all lobbyists to report their clients, contracts with federal agencies, the pieces of legislation or issues lobbyists discussed and expenditures related to this activity. Lobbyists are not required to disclose specific stances or other details beyond stating the topic or legislation.
The Indiana Daily Student reached out to both IU lobbyists for interviews, who directed the request to IU spokesperson Mark Bode. He provided a two-sentence statement affirming the IU Office of Federal Relations advises federal lawmakers and agencies on higher education issues.
When asked if lobbyists took stances or provided expertise for two pieces of legislation — the Stop Campus Hazing Act and the Fourth Amendment is Not For Sale Act — Bode referred back to this original statement.
Defense, microelectronics and AI lobbying
IU listed topics related to defense and AI research on all four of its quarterly lobbying reports. Its lobbyists spoke with lawmakers about IU’s partnership with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division. Lobbyists also updated members of the U.S. House and Senate on IU’s partnership with the Department of Defense’s Trusted and Assured Microelectronics Program and ME Commons regional innovation hub.
IU’s research on AI and quantum science was also mentioned throughout the reports. Big Ten universities as a whole lobbied around defense partnerships, AI and microelectronics.
Dusso said universities are “lobbying where the money is” — the AI in defense market is projected to be worth more than $18.5 billion by 2029. While providing expertise in these issues might not directly result in universities like IU receiving federal research contracts, there are still benefits.
“What lobbying does is it keeps your name there,” Dusso said. “You’re a player in this industry, and of course you want to keep that industry’s money flowing into higher education.”
Financial aid and federal grants, College Costs Reduction Act
The cost of college and loans for students was also a heavily discussed topic for IU lobbyists, according to the quarterly reports. IU lobbyists recorded activity surrounding federal appropriations for the Pell Grant program, a federal financial aid program for undergraduate students, and Title IV financial aid programs.
IU also weighed in on legislation impacting the cost of higher education, including the College Cost Reduction Act, a bill that would expand Pell Grant funding for college juniors and seniors but eliminate other loan and grant programs. Proponents argue the changes would reduce the federal government’s deficit, but others believe it would increase student loan repayments. The bill has been referred to two U.S. House committees.
Lobbyists also reported activity surrounding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) Deadline Act. Introduced by U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin, who represents Bloomington, the law requires the U.S. Department of Education to release the FASFA on Oct. 1.
Lobbyists also discussed federal appropriations for National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation — which can be used to fund research, training, conferences and other resources at universities. Donald Trump’s administration cancelled meetings for NIH grant reviews last week and halted external communication for the agency.
Bills on hazing, purchasing data
One notable piece of legislation listed on IU’s activity reports is the Stop Campus Hazing Act, which former President Joe Biden signed in late December. The law requires universities to disclose all hazing incidents reported to the university in its annual security reports and make hazing transparency reports publicly available.
The Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale Act, which passed the House but has seen no further action, also appeared on IU’s lobbying reports. The bipartisan legislation would prohibit law enforcement and government intelligence agencies from purchasing data on users from third-party brokers.
The deadline for IU to file its lobbying activity for the first quarter of 2025 is April 21.
