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The Guardian
20-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
US universities face choice to surrender or fight back against Trump's takeover
The Trump administration's unprecedented pressure campaign on American higher education – which is forcing major universities to bow to its demands or risk investigations and the loss of millions of dollars in federal money – is so far facing little pushback from the schools affected. That campaign escalated earlier this month, when the US government cancelled $400m in federal contracts and grants to Columbia University. In a subsequent letter, representatives of three federal agencies said they would reconsider that freeze only if Columbia agreed to conditions including more aggressively disciplining students who engage in pro-Palestinian disruptions, planning 'comprehensive' reform of the school's admissions policies, and placing one of school's area studies departments under 'academic receivership' – meaning under the control of an outside chair. Other colleges and universities across the US have been watching to see how Columbia reacts to the letter, which is widely viewed as a test case for academic freedom. In an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education, Lee Bollinger, Columbia's former president, described the situation as 'an authoritarian takeover'. Yet ahead of a Thursday deadline for compliance, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Columbia appears to be poised to yield to the Trump administration's demands. The government's confrontation with Columbia, which critics describe as ideological blackmail and possibly illegal, is only one of a number of shots that the administration has fired in recent days across the bow of American elite higher education – and so far, opposition has been surprisingly minimal, as colleges and universities weigh whether to surrender, negotiate or fight back. Many of the demands that the Trump administration is making are not lawful, Jameel Jaffer told the Guardian. Jaffer, who said that he did not speak for the university, is the executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia. 'They can't require Columbia to take the steps that they're demanding Columbia take, and no university could take these kinds of steps without completely destroying its credibility as an independent institution of higher education, or take these steps consistent with the values that are common to universities in the United States.' A chill has descended on American academia, advocates for freedom of expression say, with professors, graduate students and researchers fearful that they'll lose jobs or funding – because of their political opinions, or merely because they work at an institution that has come under the Trump administration's Medusa gaze. The government also announced a task force on alleged antisemitism at 10 major universities; sent a letter to 60 schools warning that they are under investigation for discriminating against Jewish students; and arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia student who led pro-Palestinian protests, under an obscure provision that gives the US secretary of state the power to deport foreign nationals whose presence in the US has 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States'. On Wednesday, the administration also announced that it was freezing $175m in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania because of the university's policies allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports, which the administration has called 'demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls'. While the pushback from institutions themselves has been minimal, some college professors and university diversity officers sued last month in an effort to block a US Department of Education ultimatum calling for colleges and universities to cancel campus diversity initiatives or risk losing federal funding. 'There is extraordinary fear across university campuses at the very top level,' Veena Dubal, a law professor and the general counsel of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), told the Guardian. 'University administrators are terrified of losing millions and millions of dollars in funding,' she said, adding that 'there is a lot of self-censorship going on' as medical researchers and others who previously considered their work apolitical reconsider that assumption. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Political winds are already forcing drastic budget cuts at many universities. Last week, Johns Hopkins said that it was eliminating over 2,000 jobs due to funding cuts by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Harvard has undertaken a hiring freeze. The president of Wesleyan, Michael Roth, has vehemently criticized the Trump administration's actions and what he calls universities' insufficient response. Although he disagrees with many pro-Palestinian protesters, he recently told Politico that universities are suffering from an 'infatuation with institutional neutrality' that makes 'cowardice into a policy'. Legal experts say that universities, such as Columbia, threatened with funding withdrawal have strong standing to sue, and expressed surprise and concern that they haven't. Although federal agencies can place conditions on money they give universities, Jaffer said, 'they have the authority to demand those things only at the end of a [legal process] that they haven't actually carried out.' In addition, 'the first amendment still guarantees universities the right to shape their own expressive communities, and many of the demands that the administration is making would intrude on that right.' Katrina Armstrong, the interim president of Columbia, said in a statement that this is 'a critical moment for higher education in this country. The freedom of universities is tied to the freedom of every other institution in a thriving democracy.' She did not indicate how that rhetoric will translate into action. Columbia did not respond to a Guardian request for comment. 'I don't think that it is wise for a university with a large endowment, that is the first university to be targeted in this way, to be taking this more conservative approach,' Dubal said of Columbia. 'I think that if anyone is well-situated to lead the charge to help save higher education, it would be a university like Columbia.' Others experts noted that many universities are probably calculating that resistance isn't worth the cost. 'I suspect we'll see litigation over this,' Tyler Coward, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (Fire), told the Guardian, but also 'see some universities capitulate and adopt the policies, including the speech-restrictive policies, that government is asking them to adopt'. Frederick Hess, the director of education policy studies at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, told Inside Higher Ed that he believed that there were real antisemitic incidents on Columbia's campus during anti-Israel protests, and that the university had mishandled them in a 'clear violation' of federal anti-discrimination law. But, he added, the federal government has 'not been transparent' about what it is doing and not done enough to 'convince me that these specific remedies are called for'. Some observers have wondered if universities – some of which have lost millions of dollars as pro-Israel donors, unhappy about radically pro-Palestinian sentiment on campuses, pulled funding – are secretly pleased with the Trump administration's actions, because it provides political cover to take decisions unpopular with students and faculty. 'I can only speculate,' Dubal said, 'but it would not be surprising to me if, in fact, the board of trustees is playing a role in the non-aggressive approach that Columbia seems to be taking.' Either way, she said, 'I think it's more clear to the public, to university faculty and students, that that they are not playing the kind of role that we expect them to play in defending not just the university's coffers, but all the values that higher education is built upon and, in fact, the laws of the nation.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbia University deserved it
'An extraordinary escalation', decried the Chronicle of Higher Education – the US's leading industry publication for universities – in reporting the Trump administration's decision to withdraw $400 million in federal government funds from Columbia University. But there is nothing 'extraordinary' about it. The government funds were ordered to be pulled after an investigation by the Department of Justice's newly-created Task Force to Combat Antisemitism determined that Columbia has not sufficiently protected its Jewish students from discrimination. Under applicable US federal law, namely Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, universities that do not provide adequate civil rights protections are at risk of losing federal funds, theoretically in their entirety. Finding that Columbia inadequately protected Jewish students will hardly have taken much detective work. Since Hamas's Oct 7 2023, attack on Israel, a number of elite US universities, including Columbia, witnessed openly anti-Semitic protests that called for the destruction of Israel, the death of Jews, praise for Hamas and terrorism in general, and numerous incidents of verbal and physical harassment that would easily fall under any legal or administrative understanding of discriminatory conduct. The protests also included a range of related crimes that American institutions have the power to prevent and police themselves, as well as the ability to call in local, state, and federal authorities. When invited to a Congressional hearing on the issue of campus anti-Semitism held in early December 2023, Columbia's then-president Minouche Shafik gave it a miss, pleading a scheduling conflict. Three presidents of other elite institutions who did testify beclowned themselves with testimony in which they failed to state unequivocally that their institutions' codes of conduct prohibited calling for the genocide of Jews. Just four days later, University of Pennsylvania president M Elizabeth Magill was out the door. Within a month, Harvard's president Claudine Gay followed her in disgrace, having reportedly lost her institution as much as $1 billion in charitable donations; she also faced large-scale accusations of plagiarism in her academic work. Columbia appeared to learn no lessons, even as prominent alumni withdrew support, with one donor, the billionaire investor Leon Cooperman, pronouncing on national television that students 'have s— for brains'. In the spring of 2024, renewed protests rocked Columbia's campus, again including assaults and a violent building occupation by protesters. Columbia appeared to implement minimal disciplinary measures, suspending a handful of student protesters and investigating several faculty members for misconduct. Several deans who were revealed to have engaged in apparently anti-Semitic banter over text message were removed from their posts. But seemingly unable to guarantee campus security, Columbia moved many of its spring 2024 semester classes online and cancelled last year's main commencement ceremony. Shafik finally appeared before Congress to answer for the climate at her institution but was judged to perform poorly. Last August she resigned, after just 13 months on the job, and became an international development adviser to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who, perhaps fittingly, had come into office a few weeks earlier touting a pronounced anti-Israel line. Shafik's temporary replacement Katrina Armstrong has fared little better. Faced with renewed protests in recent weeks, she appears not to have acted any more decisively than the unfortunate Shafik. That was until Columbia received a letter from the Justice Department, now led by Donald Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi, announcing a civil rights investigation to determine whether Columbia was in violation of the law, a measure Joe Biden's administration appears never to have considered. Only at that point, it seems, did Armstrong find the courage to begin expelling disruptive students, the first time Columbia had expelled students since 1968, at the height of the violent anti-Vietnam War protests. But it was too little, too late. The Trump administration announced the dramatic funding cut, with newly confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon issuing a factual statement that 'universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding'. The Trump administration also arrested and initiated legal proceedings to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian national who, as a Columbia student, led on-campus pro-Palestinian protests. His was the 'first arrest of many to come', Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. Nevertheless, his press secretary Karoline Leavitt alleged at a press briefing that Columbia was refusing to cooperate with other Department of Homeland Security inquiries into its student body and stated that the president is 'not going to tolerate that'. As for imperilled university funds, the Trump administration literally doubled down on Tuesday, withdrawing $800 million from Johns Hopkins University. This decision appears connected to the elimination of funds provided by the recently gutted United States Agency for International Development (USAid), but it followed an announcement that 60 American institutions of higher education, including Johns Hopkins, are now under Justice Department investigation for failing to prevent campus discrimination. Armstrong, Columbia's interim president, suggested in a public message that she has finally seen the light about what she now prudently calls the administration's 'legitimate concerns'. Whether she and her fellow university presidents can grovel convincingly enough to get their funds back, however, is anyone's guess. But in a country where only 36 per cent of the public has a great deal of confidence in higher education, their battle will be an uphill one. Paul du Quenoy is President of the Palm Beach Freedom Institute Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Telegraph
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Columbia University deserved it
'An extraordinary escalation', decried the Chronicle of Higher Education – the US's leading industry publication for universities – in reporting the Trump administration's decision to withdraw $400 million in federal government funds from Columbia University. But there is nothing 'extraordinary' about it. The government funds were ordered to be pulled after an investigation by the Department of Justice's newly-created Task Force to Combat Antisemitism determined that Columbia has not sufficiently protected its Jewish students from discrimination. Under applicable US federal law, namely Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, universities that do not provide adequate civil rights protections are at risk of losing federal funds, theoretically in their entirety. Finding that Columbia inadequately protected Jewish students will hardly have taken much detective work. Since Hamas's Oct 7 2023, attack on Israel, a number of elite US universities, including Columbia, witnessed openly anti-Semitic protests that called for the destruction of Israel, the death of Jews, praise for Hamas and terrorism in general, and numerous incidents of verbal and physical harassment that would easily fall under any legal or administrative understanding of discriminatory conduct. The protests also included a range of related crimes that American institutions have the power to prevent and police themselves, as well as the ability to call in local, state, and federal authorities. When invited to a Congressional hearing on the issue of campus anti-Semitism held in early December 2023, Columbia's then-president Minouche Shafik gave it a miss, pleading a scheduling conflict. Three presidents of other elite institutions who did testify beclowned themselves with testimony in which they failed to state unequivocally that their institutions' codes of conduct prohibited calling for the genocide of Jews. Just four days later, University of Pennsylvania president M Elizabeth Magill was out the door. Within a month, Harvard's president Claudine Gay followed her in disgrace, having reportedly lost her institution as much as $1 billion in charitable donations; she also faced large-scale accusations of plagiarism in her academic work. Columbia appeared to learn no lessons, even as prominent alumni withdrew support, with one donor, the billionaire investor Leon Cooperman, pronouncing on national television that students 'have s— for brains'. In the spring of 2024, renewed protests rocked Columbia's campus, again including assaults and a violent building occupation by protesters. Columbia appeared to implement minimal disciplinary measures, suspending a handful of student protesters and investigating several faculty members for misconduct. Several deans who were revealed to have engaged in apparently anti-Semitic banter over text message were removed from their posts. But seemingly unable to guarantee campus security, Columbia moved many of its spring 2024 semester classes online and cancelled last year's main commencement ceremony. Shafik finally appeared before Congress to answer for the climate at her institution but was judged to perform poorly. Last August she resigned, after just 13 months on the job, and became an international development adviser to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who, perhaps fittingly, had come into office a few weeks earlier touting a pronounced anti-Israel line. Shafik's temporary replacement Katrina Armstrong has fared little better. Faced with renewed protests in recent weeks, she appears not to have acted any more decisively than the unfortunate Shafik. That was until Columbia received a letter from the Justice Department, now led by Donald Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi, announcing a civil rights investigation to determine whether Columbia was in violation of the law, a measure Joe Biden's administration appears never to have considered. Only at that point, it seems, did Armstrong find the courage to begin expelling disruptive students, the first time Columbia had expelled students since 1968, at the height of the violent anti-Vietnam War protests. But it was too little, too late. The Trump administration announced the dramatic funding cut, with newly confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon issuing a factual statement that 'universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding'. The Trump administration also arrested and initiated legal proceedings to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian national who, as a Columbia student, led on-campus pro-Palestinian protests. His was the 'first arrest of many to come', Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. Nevertheless, his press secretary Karoline Leavitt alleged at a press briefing that Columbia was refusing to cooperate with other Department of Homeland Security inquiries into its student body and stated that the president is 'not going to tolerate that'. As for imperilled university funds, the Trump administration literally doubled down on Tuesday, withdrawing $800 million from Johns Hopkins University. This decision appears connected to the elimination of funds provided by the recently gutted United States Agency for International Development (USAid), but it followed an announcement that 60 American institutions of higher education, including Johns Hopkins, are now under Justice Department investigation for failing to prevent campus discrimination. Armstrong, Columbia's interim president, suggested in a public message that she has finally seen the light about what she now prudently calls the administration's 'legitimate concerns'. Whether she and her fellow university presidents can grovel convincingly enough to get their funds back, however, is anyone's guess. But in a country where only 36 per cent of the public has a great deal of confidence in higher education, their battle will be an uphill one.
CBS News
18-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Mentoring program helping Black high school students prepare for college success
A Chicago-based organization is tackling the problem of the falling number of Black men attending college by mentoring young Black men while they're still in high school. The rate of Black men going to college plunged by more than 21% in 2021, according to an analysis by the Chronicle of Higher Education, causing many people to notice and take action. A Chicago organization focused on helping high school students pursue a college education is teaching students the skills to succeed at the next level. Dominican University sophomore Tycree Watson has some lofty career goals. "I hope to go into politics, and hopefully be the president of the United States," he said. But right now, he's learning about finance. When he was in high school, Watson took mentoring classes from OneGoal. Their mentoring program helped him get into college and succeed now that he's there. "I think mentorship allows for people to see different paths in which they wouldn't see," Watson said. Barrington Price, CEO of Dominican University's Chicago campus, said "The university system hasn't necessarily been designed historically for marginalized communities to experience success,: Price said Watson is a good example of the benefits of mentoring. "Mentoring is really helping students become aware of their skills and interests, their abilities; and navigating that into some career trajectory," he said. OneGoal offers mentoring classes at more than 30 public schools in Chicago. "Sadly, there's an overlap between race and resources. So Black students are far more likely to attend low-income or high-poverty schools," said OneGoal CEO Melissa Connelly. "But if we can make sure students have the knowledge about which colleges are best, which colleges have the programs that lead to the careers that they want, which certification programs can open up the most job opportunities for them, then students make good decisions." Decisions that could one day lead Watson to the White House. "The OneGoal mentorship gave me an idea and the concept of it's okay to reach out, it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to receive help from others, and you don't have to rely on yourself to do everything," Watson said. It offers classes across the nation.
