Latest news with #EducationDepartment
6 hours ago
- Business
Trump administration wants Harvard to pay far more than Columbia as part of settlement
WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration is pressing for a deal with Harvard University that would require the Ivy League school to pay far more than the $200 million fine agreed to by Columbia University to resolve multiple federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter. Harvard would be expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars as part of any settlement to end investigations into antisemitism at its campus, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Harvard leaders have been negotiating with the White House even as they battle in court to regain access to billions in federal research funding terminated by the Trump administration. The White House's desire to get Harvard to pay far more than Columbia was first reported by The New York Times, which said the school has signaled a willingness to pay as much as $500 million. Harvard did not immediately comment. The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities, with financial penalties that are now seen as a staple for future agreements. Last week, Columbia leaders agreed to pay $200 million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws and restore more than $400 million in research grants. Columbia had been in talks for months after the Trump administration accused the university of allowing the harassment of Jewish students and employees amid a wave of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Harvard faces similar accusations but, unlike Columbia, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school challenged the administration's funding cuts and subsequent sanctions in court. Last week, President Donald Trump said Harvard 'wants to settle' but he said Columbia 'handled it better.' The Trump administration's emphasis on financial penalties adds a new dimension for colleges facing federal scrutiny. In the past, civil rights investigations by the Education Department almost always ended with voluntary agreements and rarely included fines. Even when the government has levied fines, they've been a small fraction of the scale Trump is seeking. Last year, the Education Department fined Liberty University $14 million after finding the Christian school failed to disclose crimes on its campus. It was the most the government had ever fined a university under the Clery Act, following a $4.5 million fine dealt to Michigan State University in 2019 for its handling of sexual assault complaints against disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar. The University of Pennsylvania agreed this month to modify school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, but that school's deal with the Trump administration included no fine. The Trump administration has opened investigations at dozens of universities over allegations of antisemitism or racial discrimination in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Several face funding freezes akin to those at Harvard, including more than $1 billion at Cornell University and $790 million at Northwestern University. Last week, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the Columbia deal a 'roadmap' for other colleges, saying it would 'ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Hamilton Spectator
7 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump administration wants Harvard to pay far more than Columbia as part of settlement
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pressing for a deal with Harvard University that would require the Ivy League school to pay far more than the $200 million fine agreed to by Columbia University to resolve multiple federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter. Harvard would be expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars as part of any settlement to end investigations into antisemitism at its campus, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Harvard leaders have been negotiating with the White House even as they battle in court to regain access to billions in federal research funding terminated by the Trump administration. The White House's desire to get Harvard to pay far more than Columbia was first reported by The New York Times, which said the school has signaled a willingness to pay as much as $500 million. Harvard did not immediately comment. The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities , with financial penalties that are now seen as a staple for future agreements. Last week, Columbia leaders agreed to pay $200 million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws and restore more than $400 million in research grants. Columbia had been in talks for months after the Trump administration accused the university of allowing the harassment of Jewish students and employees amid a wave of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Harvard faces similar accusations but, unlike Columbia, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school challenged the administration's funding cuts and subsequent sanctions in court. Last week, President Donald Trump said Harvard 'wants to settle' but he said Columbia 'handled it better.' The Trump administration's emphasis on financial penalties adds a new dimension for colleges facing federal scrutiny. In the past, civil rights investigations by the Education Department almost always ended with voluntary agreements and rarely included fines. Even when the government has levied fines, they've been a small fraction of the scale Trump is seeking. Last year, the Education Department fined Liberty University $14 million after finding the Christian school failed to disclose crimes on its campus. It was the most the government had ever fined a university under the Clery Act, following a $4.5 million fine dealt to Michigan State University in 2019 for its handling of sexual assault complaints against disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar . The University of Pennsylvania agreed this month to modify school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas , but that school's deal with the Trump administration included no fine. The Trump administration has opened investigations at dozens of universities over allegations of antisemitism or racial discrimination in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Several face funding freezes akin to those at Harvard, including more than $1 billion at Cornell University and $790 million at Northwestern University. Last week, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the Columbia deal a 'roadmap' for other colleges, saying it would 'ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump administration wants Harvard to pay far more than Columbia as part of settlement
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pressing for a deal with Harvard University that would require the Ivy League school to pay far more than the $200 million fine agreed to by Columbia University to resolve multiple federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter. Harvard would be expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars as part of any settlement to end investigations into antisemitism at its campus, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Harvard leaders have been negotiating with the White House even as they battle in court to regain access to billions in federal research funding terminated by the Trump administration. The White House's desire to get Harvard to pay far more than Columbia was first reported by The New York Times, which said the school has signaled a willingness to pay as much as $500 million. Harvard did not immediately comment. The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities, with financial penalties that are now seen as a staple for future agreements. Last week, Columbia leaders agreed to pay $200 million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws and restore more than $400 million in research grants. Columbia had been in talks for months after the Trump administration accused the university of allowing the harassment of Jewish students and employees amid a wave of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Harvard faces similar accusations but, unlike Columbia, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school challenged the administration's funding cuts and subsequent sanctions in court. Last week, President Donald Trump said Harvard 'wants to settle' but he said Columbia 'handled it better.' The Trump administration's emphasis on financial penalties adds a new dimension for colleges facing federal scrutiny. In the past, civil rights investigations by the Education Department almost always ended with voluntary agreements and rarely included fines. Even when the government has levied fines, they've been a small fraction of the scale Trump is seeking. Last year, the Education Department fined Liberty University $14 million after finding the Christian school failed to disclose crimes on its campus. It was the most the government had ever fined a university under the Clery Act, following a $4.5 million fine dealt to Michigan State University in 2019 for its handling of sexual assault complaints against disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar. The University of Pennsylvania agreed this month to modify school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, but that school's deal with the Trump administration included no fine. The Trump administration has opened investigations at dozens of universities over allegations of antisemitism or racial discrimination in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Several face funding freezes akin to those at Harvard, including more than $1 billion at Cornell University and $790 million at Northwestern University. Last week, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the Columbia deal a 'roadmap' for other colleges, saying it would 'ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
7 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Trump administration wants Harvard to pay far more than Columbia as part of settlement
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pressing for a deal with Harvard University that would require the Ivy League school to pay far more than the $200 million fine agreed to by Columbia University to resolve multiple federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter. Harvard would be expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars as part of any settlement to end investigations into antisemitism at its campus, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Harvard leaders have been negotiating with the White House even as they battle in court to regain access to billions in federal research funding terminated by the Trump administration. The White House's desire to get Harvard to pay far more than Columbia was first reported by The New York Times, which said the school has signaled a willingness to pay as much as $500 million. Harvard did not immediately comment. The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities, with financial penalties that are now seen as a staple for future agreements. Last week, Columbia leaders agreed to pay $200 million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws and restore more than $400 million in research grants. Columbia had been in talks for months after the Trump administration accused the university of allowing the harassment of Jewish students and employees amid a wave of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Harvard faces similar accusations but, unlike Columbia, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school challenged the administration's funding cuts and subsequent sanctions in court. Last week, President Donald Trump said Harvard 'wants to settle' but he said Columbia 'handled it better.' The Trump administration's emphasis on financial penalties adds a new dimension for colleges facing federal scrutiny. In the past, civil rights investigations by the Education Department almost always ended with voluntary agreements and rarely included fines. Even when the government has levied fines, they've been a small fraction of the scale Trump is seeking. Last year, the Education Department fined Liberty University $14 million after finding the Christian school failed to disclose crimes on its campus. It was the most the government had ever fined a university under the Clery Act, following a $4.5 million fine dealt to Michigan State University in 2019 for its handling of sexual assault complaints against disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar. The University of Pennsylvania agreed this month to modify school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, but that school's deal with the Trump administration included no fine. The Trump administration has opened investigations at dozens of universities over allegations of antisemitism or racial discrimination in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Several face funding freezes akin to those at Harvard, including more than $1 billion at Cornell University and $790 million at Northwestern University. Last week, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the Columbia deal a 'roadmap' for other colleges, saying it would 'ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Deaths in school: on the state of government schools
On July 25, tragedy awaited students of Classes 6 and 7 at the Piplodi Government School in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district as they assembled for prayer. A part of their school building gave way leading to the deaths of seven and injuries to several others. Most of the students were from tribal communities. The school is in the southeastern part of the State bordering Madhya Pradesh. There was a similar incident the next day in Nagaur district but the school was closed being a holiday. There has been much public anger in the State over the incidents which, quite rightly, have thrown the spotlight on the state of government schools. As in UDISE 2023-24 data, there are more than 70,000 government schools in Rajasthan serving nearly 84 lakh students, especially from the poorer and marginalised sections. Of these, some 8,000 schools have been estimated by the Education Department to be in a poor condition. The Jhalawar school was not among the schools identified as being in a poor state, indicating the extent of the problems. Some ₹650 crore had been allocated in the past two State budgets for boosting the infrastructure but inefficiencies in government have ensured that the measures did not make much difference. Fixing the infrastructure of government schools should be a priority for the State's Bharatiya Janata Party government. The tragedy in Rajasthan should serve as a wake-up call across India, given the current policy defocus on government-owned education institutions. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 had called for an immediate increase in spending on education, from some 4.6% of GDP to 6%, identifying one-time spends on infrastructure as the lead priority besides identifying other sectors for a boost in support. Five years into the NEP, there is little to suggest that this has been a focus area for governments, Union or State. Policy thrusts have been more towards reducing government support, self-financing, and encouraging private sector contribution. While these may be applicable to higher education, basic school education is a primary duty of the government — as it is across the world including in the most developed nations. Setting up model schools and funding them to serve as exemplars cannot be at the cost of mass school education. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy has been identified as a critical area for boosting workforce productivity and reaping the demographic dividend that will soon run its course as India's population ages. But the discourse on pathways towards achieving them is more on pedagogy, non-formal teaching and so on than the essentials — an infrastructure boost and teacher recruitment and training.
