The crest adorns a gate on the campus of Harvard University in Allston, Mass. The Education Department said it won’t allow any new grants until the private school changes its policies. Photo by CJ Gunterh/EPA-EFE
May 5 (UPI) — Harvard won’t receive any new federal grants until it meets demands from the Trump administration, the Education Department said Monday.
The requirements were spelled in a letter by Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard President Alan M. Garber.
The Trump administration earlier froze $2.2 billion in multi-year federal grants, and President Donald Trump wants to revoke the Ivy League school’s tax-exempt status if it doesn’t make the changes. Also, the Trump administration has threatened to not allow international students to attend.
An Education Department official told reporters on Monday that Harvard will receive no new federal grants, of more than $1 billion, until it “demonstrates responsible management of the university” and satisfies federal demands on a range of subjects.
“Those investigations would need to lead to resolution agreements that bring Harvard back into compliance with federal law. They could also open up a broader negotiation if they were interested in accelerating that,” the official said.
The unnamed person accused Harvard of “serious failures” in four areas: anti-Semitism, racial discrimination, abandonment of rigor and viewpoint diversity.
They include banning masks at campus protests, requiring merit-based hiring and admissions, and giving foreign students’ discipline records.
It does not apply to federal financial aid students to help cover tuition and fees, including Pell Grants. Tuition at Harvard, which has an enrollment of more than 21,000, was more than $56,000 this year and the total cost of attendance was almost $83,000, according to its financial aid website.
Harvard announced last month that families with incomes of $200,000 and less will not pay tuition.
Harvard sued the Trump administration on April 21 after rejecting a letter on April 11 outlining the demands.
The 51-page lawsuit, which was filed in federal court of its home state of Massachusetts, asks a judge to block the funding freeze, arguing it is “unlawful and beyond the government’s authority.”
“All told, the tradeoff put to Harvard and other universities is clear: Allow the Government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions,” Harvard’s lawyers wrote.
Garber, in a letter addressed to the Harvard community with the lawsuit announcement, said the actions “have stark real-life consequences for patients, students, faculty, staff, researchers, and the standing of American higher education in the world.”
Harvard is the oldest higher education schools in the United States, founded in 1636.
The school’s endowment is valued at $53.2 billion, but it’s considered a long-term investment and not a slush fund.
The Trump administration also has paused funding at other private schools, including Columbia, Cornell, Brown and Northwestern.