Syracuse University spent $90,000 on lobbying during the first quarter of 2013 — an increase from the $60,000-$80,000 the university typically spends per quarter.

“There has been an increase in lobbying expenditures as a result of a lot of activity in Congress this past quarter, especially with sequestration,” said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs, in an email. This and other policy changes could cut financial support for important sectors in higher education, he added.

The university increased the amount of funding allocated for federal lobbying to counteract waning congressional support for education, student financial aid and charitable giving, Quinn said.

Some specific areas the university spent lobbying funds on this quarter include preventing potential cuts to the National Science Foundation’s funding and supporting tax deductions for donations to colleges, according to the university’s lobbying report, filed April 18.

The Division of Public Affairs presented briefs on behalf of these interests to Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Dan Maffei (D-DeWitt). The briefs provided information about the activities of Syracuse’s Near Westside Initiative and other Syracuse organizations, according to the report.

In 2012, SU contacted these representatives four times about the university’s programs to increase college and high school graduation rates, and three times about the university’s interests abroad.

“Throughout the university, our faculty and staff are continuously engaged with local, state and federal officials,” Quinn said. “We are always going to be actively representing the interest of university and our students, especially at critical times in Washington.”

The congressional sequester was one of the main reasons for cuts in grants for the National Science Foundation, which acts as a vehicle for university research, said Danielle Staudt, executive director of the American League of Lobbyists.

The automatic spending cuts instituted by the government affect the research grant money given to higher education, she said. This might explain why universities have increased lobbying expenditures in the past year.

“If universities have a big research component, they’re going to lobby that,” Staudt said. “The automatic spending cuts directly affect this in that it means universities may lose a lot of money for research grants indiscriminately.”

However, she added, the increase in lobbying expenditures can also be attributed to a typical fluctuation in expenses between fiscal quarters.

Quinn said SU’s Division of Public Affairs actively communicates with higher education associates to make sure support for universities remains a priority for legislators and policy makers. SU is ranked 71st out of the 686 schools that reported spending money on lobbying last year.

This spending money, reported in dollar figures, represents staff time devoted to lobbying, Quinn said. The university uses the Office of Government and Community Relations, as well as an outside firm that represents SU in Washington, D.C., as lobbying officials for the university, he said. Quinn said the Office of Government and Community Relations works with offices and departments across campus to coordinate the university’s daily interactions with government.

“As a registered lobbying organization, any faculty member or employee of the university is also considered a lobbyist when they engage government officials on university-related issues,” Quinn said.

In addition, SU belongs to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, a membership association that lobbies on issues affecting independent colleges, including student aid and tax, and regulatory provisions, according to the association’s website.

Lobbying allows important community issues to be deliberated on a federal level, Staudt said.

“Regardless of what the state of Congress is, university lobbyists are always traveling to the Hill to petition for support of higher education causes,” she said. “It’s exactly what they should be doing.”

Published on April 30, 2013 at 12:41 am

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu