The Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) expresses gratitude to its member institutions for their continued support and contributions during an exceptionally challenging pandemic period. In consideration of the financial hardships many institutions have faced, COGR’s Board of Directors has decided to maintain current membership dues levels for the 2021–2022 membership year. However, the organization notes that operating expenses have increasingly outpaced revenues, making a future increase in dues unavoidable. Accordingly, COGR announces that annual dues will rise from $10,500 to $11,000 beginning August 1, 2022, with longer-term plans to implement moderate tuition increases aligned with inflation to ensure financial sustainability.
COGR also outlines several recent initiatives undertaken to enhance member engagement and support, such as providing complimentary webinars on pandemic-related topics, expanding online resources, hosting virtual discussion forums, and shifting some major meetings to a virtual format to broaden accessibility. The organization emphasizes its advocacy role in representing research institutions’ interests with funding and regulatory agencies, particularly regarding regulatory relief during the pandemic and responses to concerns about foreign influence in research. While COGR does not lobby directly, it collaborates with allied associations to address policy challenges affecting research administration. The letter reassures members of COGR’s commitment to delivering value and invites feedback to better meet institutional needs.
