Latest news with #ClaireShipman
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Columbia settlement puts Ivy League universities in 'survival mode,' Ohio State president claims
Ohio State President Ted Carter said on Sunday that Ivy League schools are in "survival mode" after Columbia University's settlement with President Donald Trump. In an interview on CBS News's "Face the Nation," anchor Margaret Brennan asked Carter if he would have taken a deal like the one Trump secured with Columbia that resolved multiple civil rights investigations. "I can't speak to those institutions because I'm not leading them," Carter responded. "I know both President Shipman and some of the other Ivy League presidents are colleagues, and they're having to do, I think, what I would call- be in survival mode, quite frankly," he said, referring to current Columbia University President Claire Shipman. "We're not going through any of that here at Ohio State and nor do I think that we will. I mean, obviously, we have a new state law, we're a public institution, so that means we're going to be transparent and put out everything that we do so that the state of Ohio, the people, the entire country can see it," Carter added. The Columbia settlement includes $200 million over three years for alleged discriminatory practices and $21 million to settle claims of antisemitic employment discrimination against Jewish faculty after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel. The White House called it the largest antisemitism-related settlement in U.S. history. Columbia confirmed the dollar amounts, but characterized the deal differently. The agreement restores billions in federal research funding and imposes oversight through an independent monitor. Columbia has agreed to reform, including enhanced campus protest rules and changing disciplinary authority from faculty to administrators. Columbia's settlement with the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for a culture of accountability, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in an interview with Fox News Digital last week. "This agreement is going to be an excellent template for other universities to be able to use as well," McMahon said. Trump has suspended federal funding to every Ivy League school, except for Penn and Dartmouth, over investigations into anti-Israel protests that have taken place on their campuses since October 2023.
Canada News.Net
4 days ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Columbia agrees to pay $220 million to US administration over protests
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Columbia University has agreed to pay more than US$220 million to the U.S. government to regain federal research funding that had been cut earlier this year. The Trump administration had canceled the funding due to what it said was the university's failure to adequately address antisemitism on campus, especially during student protests linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The settlement includes two parts: $200 million will be paid over the next three years as a general settlement. $21 million will go to resolve claims that Jewish employees faced discrimination after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Claire Shipman, Columbia's acting president, said the agreement helps the university move forward after months of federal pressure and uncertainty. Earlier this year, the government had already canceled over $400 million in grants and had threatened to take away more federal money. To restore its funding, Columbia agreed to make significant changes, including: Revising its student discipline process. Applying a federal definition of antisemitism in both classroom teaching and student investigations. Reviewing its Middle East studies to ensure they are balanced. Hiring new faculty for its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. Ending any programs that aim for race-based goals, quotas, or "unlawful" diversity targets. Reporting to a federal monitor to prove its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs don't break the law. Although Columbia did not admit to any wrongdoing, it agreed to these changes as part of the settlement. Shipman said the university's independence would be maintained despite the reforms. Education Secretary Linda McMahon praised the deal, calling it a significant turning point in how universities that accept federal money are held accountable. She added that Columbia's changes could be a model for other elite colleges that want to show they support fairness and open debate. President Trump also commented, saying Columbia had agreed to stop "ridiculous DEI policies" and to admit students based only on merit. He warned that other colleges may soon face similar action if they misused federal funds or failed to protect student rights. Columbia's agreement follows months of controversy. The university became one of the first targets of the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests and rising campus tensions. Some Jewish students said they faced insults, social exclusion, and embarrassment in class during the demonstrations. However, other Jewish students joined the protests, saying they were criticizing Israel's policies — not Judaism or Jews. The university has had three interim presidents in the past year. Its leadership admits the campus atmosphere must change. As part of the deal, Columbia will now ask international applicants why they want to study in the U.S. and will promote respectful discussion on campus. Columbia also agreed to share information with the government — if asked — about foreign students on visas who are suspended or expelled due to protests. This could make it easier for the Trump administration to deport certain student activists. Just a day before the deal was announced, Columbia said it would expel, suspend, or revoke degrees from more than 70 students who joined a pro-Palestinian protest inside the main library and a previous demonstration held during alumni weekend. The government pressure began with cuts in funding. A former student protester, Mahmoud Khalil, became the first non-citizen arrested as part of Trump's push to deport pro-Palestinian activists. Later, the Justice Department searched dorm rooms to see if the university was hiding people in the country illegally. Columbia responded that it would follow the law. Columbia was the first significant test case in Trump's efforts to reshape higher education, but attention later shifted to Harvard, which decided to challenge the administration in court. Trump's administration has used federal funding to force colleges to change. So far, over $2 billion has been withheld from top schools including Cornell, Brown, Northwestern, and Princeton. In one case, the University of Pennsylvania lost $175 million over a dispute involving transgender athlete Lia Thomas, which was returned after the school changed its policies. The administration is also pressuring public universities. The University of Virginia president resigned in June after a federal probe into DEI practices, and a similar investigation just began at George Mason University. This settlement at Columbia marks a turning point in how federal money is used to shape what happens on U.S. college campuses.
The Herald Scotland
7 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
What's in Columbia's $220 million deal with Trump?
In return, the deal eases the extraordinary pressure the school has faced since March. Hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding will begin flowing again. Other federal probes, including ones that jeopardized the school's access to financial aid, will cease. For the first time, the accord sets a definitive price tag for a U.S. college to assuage the Trump administration, which has made no secret of its disdain for many universities, especially the richest and most selective ones. For Columbia, the cost of mollifying Trump was steep. Claire Shipman, the university's president, agreed the school would pay a $200 million fine to resolve funding disputes, plus an additional $21 million designated for university employees who said they'd faced discrimination or harm amid campus protests related to the Israel-Hamas war. Read more: How Columbia University became the epicenter of disagreement over the Israel-Hamas war Here are some of the details of the deal: "This was a really, really complex problem," Shipman told CNN the morning after she made the announcement. "I will argue over and over again that choosing to listen, choosing to try to solve the problem with everything that we had at stake is not capitulation." President Trump and Linda McMahon, his education secretary, have touted the agreement, saying it addresses years of conservative grievances with higher education - and offers a blueprint for future deals with campuses facing similar scrutiny. Read more: After $220 million Columbia deal, Trump promises more to come "Columbia's reforms are a roadmap for elite universities that wish to regain the confidence of the American public by renewing their commitment to truth-seeking, merit, and civil debate," McMahon said in a statement following the resolution. "I believe they will ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come." Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@ Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @ Veronica Bravo is USA TODAY's graphics art director
Boston Globe
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
A look at details of the settlement between Columbia University and the Trump administration
It is a document President Donald Trump's administration is calling a road map for settlements with other colleges accused of not doing enough to address campus antisemitism. Columbia University's acting president, Claire Shipman, said it protects the school's values and autonomy. Advertisement Here's what's in the settlement: Financial payout The university will pay the federal government $200 million over three years. It will also pay $21 million to settle alleged civil rights violations against Jewish employees that occurred following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up A pledge to end diversity programs The university agreed to end programs 'that promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotes, diversity targets or similar efforts.' Columbia, as part of the agreement, must also issue regular reports to an independent monitor assuring that its programs 'do not promote unlawful DEI goals.' The agreement pushes Columbia to limit the consideration of race even beyond the Supreme Court's 2023 decision ending affirmative action. That decision left open the possibility that universities could consider an applicant's discussion of how their race affected their life, including in college application essays. Advertisement The agreement says: 'Columbia may not use personal statements, diversity narratives, or any applicant reference to racial identity as a means to introduce or justify discrimination.' Faculty and curriculum changes Columbia agreed to review its Middle East curriculum and appoint new faculty to its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies who will 'contribute to a robust and intellectually diverse academic environment.' To further support Jewish students on campus, the agreement calls for a new administrator to serve as a liaison on antisemitism issues. Reporting on international students Columbia University agreed to new vetting for prospective international students. The agreement calls for introducing 'questions designed to elicit their reasons for wishing to study in the United States' and establishes processes to make sure all students are committed to 'civil discourse.' The university also promised to provide the government with information, upon request, of disciplinary actions involving student-visa holders resulting in expulsions or suspensions. 'In several instances, the agreement codifies other practices or policies already in existence, or reviews already underway. We must always comply with government regulations regarding the international student visa program, for example,' Shipman said. The agreement says Columbia also will 'examine its business model and take steps to decrease financial dependence on international student enrollment.' International students make up about 40% of the enrollment at Columbia. Abiding Trump's interpretation on sex discrimination The agreement requires full compliance with the administration's interpretation of Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in education. Trump officials have used the law to force the removal of transgender athletes from women's sports. Campus protest policies The deal calls for Columbia to abide restrictions it agreed to on campus protests, including a ban on face coverings used to conceal demonstrators' identity. It says protests inside academic buildings are not acceptable under the university's code of conduct. Advertisement The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's for working with philanthropies, a of supporters and funded coverage areas at
New York Times
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Did Columbia's Deal With Trump Save Its Stature or Sacrifice It?
From the perspective of one longtime professor, a storied 270-year-old institution had capitulated to a bad-faith pressure campaign. Another faculty member saw a measured and mature decision from a university under fire. And among Jewish leaders, sharp disagreement emerged over whether Washington was truly concerned about campus antisemitism — or using it as a cover to crack down on one of the nation's most distinguished universities. One day after Columbia University reached a comprehensive deal with the Trump administration to settle allegations that it failed to do enough to stop the harassment of Jewish students, reactions on the university's Upper Manhattan campus and beyond ranged from fierce criticism to celebration. The university agreed on Wednesday to pay a $200 million fine and meet other demands in exchange for federal research funding being restored. The deal represented a major juncture in the Trump administration's monthslong battle with the nation's elite universities. As part of the agreement, Columbia made several pledges, including to follow through on commitments from March to address antisemitism and to provide admissions data to an independent monitor to ensure compliance with court rulings prohibiting race-conscious admissions. Claire Shipman, the acting president of Columbia, cast the agreement as a high-stakes balancing act. She said the university had sought to safeguard its academic independence and core values while remaining cleareyed that the threats to research and accreditation were unsustainable. The university's decision had been publicly portrayed 'as a test of principle — a binary fight between courage and capitulation,' Ms. Shipman said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
