The Trump administration has decided to freeze over $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University due to the institution’s defiance against the administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.
This action marks the seventh time President Donald Trump’s administration has taken such steps towards elite colleges, including six Ivy League schools.
The big picture: The government called for broad reforms in a letter to Harvard, demanding changes in leadership, admissions policies, and an audit of diversity views on campus, while also pressuring the university to stop recognizing some student clubs.
- President Alan Garber of Harvard stated that the university would not comply with the government’s demands, asserting the institution’s independence and constitutional rights.
- Subsequently, the Trump administration froze billions in federal funding to Harvard, marking a significant escalation of actions against academic institutions to align with the administration’s political agenda.
- The administration’s demands included instituting “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies, conducting audits on diversity views, banning face masks, and stopping funding for student groups endorsing criminal activities.
