US universities have announced employment freezes, citing new financial uncertainties as the Trump administration threatens the scope of federal contracts and research grants.
In February, the administration announced deep cuts to the National Institutes of Health Research institution grantsa shift that could cut more than $100 million in money to go to certain universities. Some schools already have shelved projects to cut back. This has been temporarily delayed by court issues.
Recently, President Donald Trump has shown his desire to target university funds more directly. His administration vowed to take federal money from universities that violate his agenda on issues, including. Diversity, equity, inclusion program, Transgender athlete participation In women’s sports and Student protest What he considers as “illegal.”
On March 7th, the government was taken out on Friday. $400 million from Columbia University About Ivy League schools explaining they didn’t curb anti-Semitism on campus. The Education Department followed up with a letter warning Monday to 60 universities that could lose federal money if they couldn’t make campuses safe for Jewish students.
Higher education has been a stable employment candidate since the pandemic, with private universities and universities adding 35,000 jobs nationwide last year. Hiring a freeze and cuts at universities could help slow job growth in the coming months, workers advocates say.
Private and public universities announce freeze
Over the past two weeks, more than a dozen institutions have announced employment restrictions for faculty and staff positions, as well as other measures to tighten the strings of the wallet.
Schools, including Harvard, have announced employment freezes. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Notre Dame; University of Pennsylvania. University of Pittsburgh. Emory University; University of Vermont. North Carolina State University; University of Washington. University of California, San Diego.
In a statement, Harvard leaders said the decision was “intended to maintain financial flexibility until we have a better understanding of how federal policy changes can be shaped and the scale of their impact can be assessed.”
University of Washington Provost Tricia Serio said in a blog post that she recognized that the uncertainty of the moment “promotes stress, worry and anxiety.”
“Using this time to proactively save resources and plan thoughtfully will help you protect the mission of public goods to manage future funding cuts,” she writes.
Several universities said they are looking for other ways to cut costs, such as Emory, who President Emory said that President Gregory Fenves “needs to take careful steps to prepare for a major disruption in our finances.”
The university sees the risks of federal funding in several ways
The university endured the winds of its head under the new administration, including the possibility of a major hike at the university. Taxes on university funds. However, the new administration has taken several steps that increased uncertainty.
In addition to the cuts ordered by the NIH grant, money for research and projects is supported by delays in the approval process and reductions for DEI-linked programs.
rear Dust-up between Trump and the governor of Maine Over transgender athletes, the USDA has suspended funding for research at the University of Maine. The funds were restored this week, officials said.
The $400 million hit on Columbia in particular has shaken up higher education institutions.
Ted Mitchell, president of the US Council of Education, said the withdrawal of federal money is not a way to combat hatred. He said the cancellation would “segregate academic and research activities” in Colombia.
“However, I am deeply concerned that unless the administration reverses the course, it will mistreat research at other institutions, resulting in further confusion, confusion and negative outcomes,” Mitchell said.
On Thursday, US officials said the federal task force fighting anti-Semitism had notified leaders in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston to meet and discuss cases in which city universities failed to protect Jewish students from discrimination. ___
Washington Associated Press Writer Chris Lugerber contributed to the report.
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