Law Requires Gift Reports

The Higher Education Reauthorization Act, signed into law by President Bush last month, includes a provision that will require universities to disclose information about foreign gifts and contracts.

Harvard officials said yesterday that the new provision will not impose a large burden on the University. Director of Governmental Relations

Nan F. Nixon said yesterday that Harvard hadnot lobbied for or against the provision in thebill.

The law is intended to gather information aboutgrowing foreign influence on Americanuniversities, according to a report of acongressional conference committee.

The committee report cited the dangers offoreign efforts to curtail academic freedom bycontrolling teaching, and it also warned offoreign parties gaining the upper hand in economiccompetition by milking the results of researchdone in American universities.

The new law will require colleges anduniversities to report to the Secretary ofEducation all gifts of more than $250,000 fromforeign countries, people or corporations. Theinstitutions must also report foreign contracts ofmore than $250,000, as well as any restrictions orconditions on the gifts or contracts.

Acting General Counsel Frank J. Connors saidyesterday that the law will be "not that big adeal to comply with." He said the University hadcomplied with a similar law that was in effect forseveral years in the late 1980s.

Connors said the old law did not require thedisclosure of restrictions or conditions.

On the national front, reports have said thatforeign funds are a rapidly growing source offunding for American higher education.

Critics of foreign investment in the UnitedStates have attacked gifts by the Japanese tovarious American universities, including Harvard.

Harvard's relation with foreign parties havedrawn some attention in recent years. TheUniversity recently reported to the InternalRevenue service that in fiscal year 1990, theMedical School refused a contract to provideservices to a Saudi Arabian hospital. The contractwould have required that the Medical Schoolcooperate with an international boycott of Israel

Nan F. Nixon said yesterday that Harvard hadnot lobbied for or against the provision in thebill.

The law is intended to gather information aboutgrowing foreign influence on Americanuniversities, according to a report of acongressional conference committee.

The committee report cited the dangers offoreign efforts to curtail academic freedom bycontrolling teaching, and it also warned offoreign parties gaining the upper hand in economiccompetition by milking the results of researchdone in American universities.

The new law will require colleges anduniversities to report to the Secretary ofEducation all gifts of more than $250,000 fromforeign countries, people or corporations. Theinstitutions must also report foreign contracts ofmore than $250,000, as well as any restrictions orconditions on the gifts or contracts.

Acting General Counsel Frank J. Connors saidyesterday that the law will be "not that big adeal to comply with." He said the University hadcomplied with a similar law that was in effect forseveral years in the late 1980s.

Connors said the old law did not require thedisclosure of restrictions or conditions.

On the national front, reports have said thatforeign funds are a rapidly growing source offunding for American higher education.

Critics of foreign investment in the UnitedStates have attacked gifts by the Japanese tovarious American universities, including Harvard.

Harvard's relation with foreign parties havedrawn some attention in recent years. TheUniversity recently reported to the InternalRevenue service that in fiscal year 1990, theMedical School refused a contract to provideservices to a Saudi Arabian hospital. The contractwould have required that the Medical Schoolcooperate with an international boycott of Israel