Harvard University is the latest in the list of higher education institutions to target governments and comply with federal funds. Trump administration’s political agenda.
A series of threats, and subsequent funding pauses — has become part of the top universities in the US Unprecedented tools To influence the administration on university campuses. Six of the seven affected universities are Ivy League schools.
President Donald Trump has vowed to pursue these federal cuts Campaign trail Last year, he said he would focus on schools that promote “critical racial theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.” Public school system It is also the target for cutting.
Let’s take a look at how universities have been pressured to cut funds in the past.
Harvard University
The administration has concluded that the anti-Semitism task force has Comprehensive review At the University of Massachusetts on March 31st.
Harvard is in it Universities across the country This is where pro-Palestinian protests broke out on campus amid the war in Gaza last year. Since then, there have been Republican officials. Heavily vetted Those universities, and Some Ivy League Presidents He testified before Congress to discuss the anti-Semitism allegations.
The government issued it List of requests I went to Harvard with a letter from April 3rd. The request included a ban on face masks; Campus protest restrictions Undergraduate bias review.
About a week later, these requests were expanded to halt leadership reforms, changes to enrollment policies and universities’ perceptions of certain student organizations.
Then on Monday, Harvard President Alan Garber refused to obeyThe university says “will not waive independence or waive constitutional rights.”
Hours later, the administration announced it had frozen over $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million contracts with the university.
Cornell University
The White House announced last week that it had frozen Over $1 billion in federal funds from Cornell. The administration said the freeze had occurred as it investigated alleged civil rights violations at the university.
New York University was one of over 60 universities groups. I received a letter from the education department On March 10, we urge Jewish students to take steps to protect them and face “potential enforcement measures.”
The Department of Defense has issued more than 75 stopwork orders for investigation, Cornell said in a statement, but the federal government had not confirmed whether the total funding freeze totaled $1 billion.
Northwestern University
Like Cornell, Northwestern halted some of its federal funds last week. According to the Trump administration, the amount was around $790 million.
The University of Illinois had not received an official message from the White House regarding the freeze, despite cooperation with the civil rights investigation, according to Northwestern officials at the time.
University spokesman John Yates said Northwestern’s scientific research is “at risk” due to the freeze. A wide range of issues for universities surface Reduced research from the National Institutes of Health.
Brown University
The Trump administration was expected Suspend federal grants and contracts On April 3, White House officials said at Brown University for a response to anti-Semitism on the Rhode Island School campus.
Officials said the total was expected to be around $510 million.
Princeton University
Dozens of research grants have been suspended At Princeton University, where there is no clear basis, according to a April 1st campus message from university president Christopher Eyesgluber. The grant came from federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, NASA and the Department of Defense.
Before the funding was suspended, Eyeslouver had expressed his opposition Trump’s threatened cuts at Columbia University In an essay from Atlantic Magazine. He called the administration’s move “a fundamental threat to academic excellence and American leadership in research.”
University of Pennsylvania
Unlike other target universities, the University of Pennsylvania saw funding cuts for trans athletes who competed in Penns swimming programs, according to the Trump administration.
Education department after the February 5 executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in sports for women and girls The investigation has begun A day later, I participated in a track and field program at Penn. San Jose State University. Pen survey focused on Leah Thomasthe first openly trans athlete to win the NCAA Division I title, graduating from university in 2022.
A month later, the White House announced Federal funds suspended approximately $175 million From the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration said the termination of funding on March 19 came after a separate, discretionary federal fund review.
The university said at the time that it was not directly notified of the lawsuit.
Columbia University
Columbia University was the first major institution to be funded by the Trump administration.
Initially, the federal agency declared that they were Consider ordering a stopwork On a roughly $51 million contract with Columbia on March 3, Trump said on social media that schools allowing “illegal protests” would see funding cuts.
Colombian student protesters last year Campus demonstrations have begun against Israeli military campaign in Gaza. The protest was made by New York City University. More than 100 protesters arrested.
University leadership faced harsh criticism from Republicans over the spread of protests and led them Former President Minush Shafik resigns. Colombia too Started an investigation into pro-Palestinian student activistslike Mahmoud KhalilHe was later arrested and under the threat of deportation.
March 7th, Trump administration Almost $400 million in federal funds in Columbia have been cancelled. Colombia has since taken some action. Expels some student protesters and pauses Those who occupied the campus building during the demonstration.
The university announced March 21st We agreed to make even more drastic policy changes. What the Trump administration demanded.
Changes included placing the Middle East Research Division under supervision, hiring new safety officers who could be arrested, and banning face masks “for the purposes of hiding their identity.” The university also agreed to appoint senior provosts who were tasked with reviewing leadership and curriculums of several international research departments.
Armstrong I resigned from her post The next week. The decision was fulfilled Dissatisfaction among some teachers And a The lawsuit against Cut.
But it continues with that Harvard’s rebellion Of the Trump administration’s demands, Columbia’s representative president, Claire Shipman, is New message Monday. She said that while she agreed to some of the administration’s demands, the university would reject “forced orchestration” “we need to abandon our independence and autonomy as an educational institution.”
As of Monday, debate was underway between the federal government and Columbia, according to a letter from Shipman’s campus.
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