AAG Joins in Support for Faculty Rights
On Tuesday, January 26, AAG sent a letter to the Chancellor of the University of Kansas, asking him not to act on the recent Kansas Board of Regents' decision to allow the suspension and termination of university employees, including tenured faculty, without formally declaring a financial emergency. Chancellor Girod recognized our letter and thoughtfully acknowledged…
2018 NAEP Geography Report Card Offers Crucial Insight into Geographic Literacy
April 23, 2020 marks the date for The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB)’s release of the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Geography Report Card, along with the nation’s 2018 assessments of History and Civics education. This year’s Geography Report Card is particularly important, as the NAEP is not due to assess geography again…
Michelle Kinzer Joins AAG Staff as Government Relations Manager
The AAG is pleased to welcome Michelle Kinzer to fill the role of Government Relations Manager. She will serve as AAG’s primary advocate on public policy in Washington and will continue to grow relationships with government decision makers as well as outside organizations and stakeholders. She will track and analyze relevant issues facing the AAG…
Enacted Tax Bill Protects Tuition Waivers
A massive tax reform package signed into law by President Trump shortly before the holidays drew attention primarily for slashing corporate rates and amending individual filing rules. The legislation, however, was also of significance for the higher education community. The original bill that passed the House of Representatives included language that would have counted graduate…
AAG Statement on Charlottesville Tragedy and White Supremacy
The American Association of Geographers is deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent deadly and violent events in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rallies supported by white nationalists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members led to the killing of one counter-protester, the wounding of at least 19 other protesters, and the deaths of two law enforcement officers doing…
Washington Policy Updates
The August Congressional recess is in full swing in the nation’s capital, and while we’re hard at work at the AAG, President Trump and lawmakers have left Washington for most of this month. Here are a few updates on key policy issues: OSTP Appointments As AAG members may recall, we led scientific community efforts in developing…
The New Plot to Hijack GIS and Mapping
A bill recently introduced in the Senate could effectively exclude everyone but licensed architects, engineers, and surveyors from federal government contracts for GIS and mapping services of all kinds — not just those services traditionally provided by surveyors. Read the document.
AAG Statement on the U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
The American Association of Geographers (AAG) opposes the Trump Administration’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Climate change constitutes a major threat to the Earth’s environment and to the well-being of people in all nations and there is a substantial body of evidence that global climate change is driven by human-induced causes.…
Administration Releases FY 2018 Budget
Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA The Trump Administration’s budget proposal, which was released on May 23, includes sharp cuts for Federal science agencies. The document is the first step in the Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations process, and many bipartisan Senators and Representatives have taken issue with multiple aspects of the proposal. The National Science Foundation (NSF) would…
Federal Research Agencies Avoid Cuts in Congressional Budget Deal
Late last week, President Trump signed into law a budget deal that will fund the federal government through September 30. The bipartisan deal has generally been viewed favorably by science advocates, as it maintains or increases funding levels for most agencies that provide research support. Under the deal, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will remain…
AAG To Join March for Science
AAG is formally partnering with and affirming support for the March for Science, a multi-location event that will be held in Washington, , across the , and internationally on Earth Day, April 22, 2017. Read More
NAACP Endorses AAG Letter Opposing Restrictions on Geospatial and Racial Disparities Data
NAACP and 26 other prominent national organizations signed on to a letter written by the AAG expressing concerns about proposed bills (Senate Bill 103 and House Bill 482) that could impose restrictions on the use of and access to geospatial data related to racial disparities. Read more about AAG policy action. Read the letter.