Shafaq News/ Harvard University has refused to comply with a sweepinglist of demands from the US President Donald Trump’s administration, even asthe White House moved to freeze $2.2 billion in federal funding to theinstitution.
“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictatewhat private universities can teach,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in aletter published on the university’s website. “We will not compromise ouracademic independence.”
The standoff follows the university’s rejection of a set of federaldirectives tied to campus governance, hiring practices, and curriculum, whichthe White House framed as necessary to address what it described as failures intackling campus antisemitism.
The Trump administration linked the move to last year’s pro-Palestinianprotests on college campuses, which it says contributed to the harassment ofJewish students.
While Harvard did make several concessions earlier this year — includingengaging with the administration’s antisemitism task force, settling lawsuitsfrom Jewish students, and suspending programs accused of anti-Israel bias — itultimately drew the line at the broader federal directives.
The US Department of Education, in response, criticized what it called a“troubling entitlement mindset” at elite institutions like Harvard, arguingthat federal investment must be tied to accountability and compliance withcivil rights law.
President Trump escalated the confrontation on Wednesday, callingHarvard “a joke” and declaring that it “should no longer receive federalfunds.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he added, “Harvard can no longerbe considered even a decent place of learning.”
Despite the mounting pressure, Harvard remains one of the fewinstitutions with the financial muscle to resist. With an endowment of $53.2billion and a 2024 operating budget of $6.4 billion, the university is capableof weathering the storm—at least in the short term.
Federal funding accounts for roughly 16% of Harvard’s annual revenue,much of it directed toward research that serves broader national interests.
Former President Barack Obama, a Harvard alumnus, defended theuniversity’s position, calling Trump’s actions “ham-handed” and praising Harvardas “an example for other higher-ed institutions.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Harvard risks $2.2B freeze defying Trump )
Also on site :
- Palestinian activist Khalil denied release for son’s birth, wife says
- Education Ministry rehabilitates 70 schools since Assad regime’s fall
- Pope Francis’s will in full: Pontiff’s final wishes and place of burial