Latest news with #JasonNewton
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Harvard's 374th commencement to kick off as usual, in unusual times
The commencement, during which thousands of students and parents will pack Harvard Yard, caps the end of a tumultuous academic year for Harvard amid unprecedented threats by the federal government to both its autonomy and bottom line. The Trump administration this year launched an array of investigations into Harvard, terminated billions of dollars in research grants, is seeking to bar it from enrolling international students, and has threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. Advertisement The ground continued shifting under Harvard Yard even this week, as federal agencies were told on Tuesday to Related : Early on, Trump officials said the steps are a response to a failure on Harvard's part to address antisemitism on campus. Recently, the administration has accused Harvard of violating antidiscrimination laws during its admissions and hiring processes. Harvard has said in lawsuits and public statements that it believes Trump's actions toward the university are unlawful. 'These terminations are putting a stop to lifesaving research and, in some cases, losing years of important work that the federal government has previously designated as a priority when the funding was appropriated by Congress,' Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said. 'We will continue to fight against unlawful terminations.' Advertisement Stanford physician and author Abraham Verghese is set to give the 2025 commencement address. Verghese, born in Ethiopia, wrote the best-selling novel 'The Covenant of Water.' This post will be updated with reporting from the commencement ceremonies. Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report. Spencer Buell can be reached at
NDTV
24-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
After Trump's Ban, Hong Kong University Announces "Unconditional Offers" For Harvard Foreign Students
Amid the US government's crackdown on elite colleges, a university in Hong Kong has promised "unconditional offers" for international students at Harvard University. According to Newsweek, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said it would help "ensure a smooth transition" for students unable to enrol for the next school year. The university will prioritise expedited admissions, credit transfers, and provide support, including visa assistance and housing, to students, HKUST said. "Diversity fuels creativity and progress. We are prepared to welcome Harvard students into our community, offering them the resources and vibrant environment needed to thrive in their fields," said Guo Yike, the provost at HKUST, as per Newsweek. HKUST's offer comes after the Chinese government criticised the US government for stopping the enrollment of foreign students and student exchange programmes at Harvard University. More than 1,000 Chinese students currently attend the Ivy League school, the outlet reported. Announcing the move on Thursday, the US Department of Homeland Security said that Harvard had created an unsafe campus environment by allowing "anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators" to harass and assault Jewish students on campus and accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, saying it hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as last year. Harvard University, on the other hand, called the US Government's move to ban foreign students "unlawful". In a statement, Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said, "We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University - and this nation - immeasurably." Harvard is also suing the Trump administration against its decision to revoke its eligibility to enrol international students. "As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars," the university said. Meanwhile, critics have warned that the US government's move could deter top talent from abroad from coming to the US to study. So, HKUST's offer indicates that an increasing number of international students could choose top institutions in China, Hong Kong and other places instead. Notably, HKUST is ranked sixty-sixth best in the world in the Times Higher Education's college rankings 2025. Harvard placed third.
Boston Globe
18-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Foreign funding at Harvard is in the spotlight. But where does it come from?
Advertisement Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said the data the school submits annually includes 'information on gifts and contracts from foreign sources exceeding $250K annually,' including those to 'provide executive education, other training, and academic publications.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Here is what the disclosures show, according to a Globe analysis. Harvard receives the most foreign contributions of any Ivy League school and other prominent research institutions in the region, including MIT, Boston University, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. Donors from roughly 90 countries have sent money to Harvard over the last three decades, with the biggest cumulative contributions coming from England, Switzerland, India, China, and Hong Kong, according to federal data going back to 1995. The funds have been funneled to specific research projects, professorships, and new initiatives. Three restricted gifts from Turkish donors totaling $6 million since 2022 , for example, were designated for the establishment of Harvard's Sabri Ülker Center for Metabolic Research. Some funds from China supported the the Harvard China Engagement Endowment Fund and the China Conservation Collaboration to protect tree species at the Arnold Arboretum. Advertisement These contributions are key to Harvard's budget, which relies heavily on philanthropic gifts and endowment contributions — from inside the US and beyond — to account for almost 40 percent of its annual operating revenue. Related : In all, the Department of Education shows that Harvard received more than $150 million directly from foreign governments over that time, with the largest total contributions from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. The UAE's gifts have been used to support students from Arab countries, including by providing financial aid for classes and summer programs and funding for graduate fellowships. Going back to 2010, the amount of foreign contributions Harvard receives has fluctuated between $86 and $338 million annually, but gifts fell off after 2023 when the college saw a significant decline in fundraising amidst controversies around pro-Palestinian protests and allegations of campus antisemitism. Harvard, alongside other elite universities, has long been criticized for accepting donations from governments and individual from countries with sometimes-hostile relationships with the United States. In 2020, the Education Department under President Trump launched an investigation into foreign investments from Harvard and asked the university to disclose information about contracts related to China, Iran, Russia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, plus gifts from specific firms, including telecommunications giant Huawei and the the Alavi Foundation, which has given money to Harvard in the past to promote the study of Islamic culture. A report of the investigation's findings released that October said that Harvard 'appears to possess inadequate institutional controls over its foreign donations and contracts,' Advertisement Then last May, Harvard officials began digging into donations from the Middle East amidst concerns about antisemitism on campus. The university's lawyers later said that 'no issues were identified' with those gifts. Congress is now considering bills that could constrict universities' ability to accept foreign funds, reduce the reporting threshold for donations, and institute fines for college that do not comply with additional requirements. Diti Kohli can be reached at
Boston Globe
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
White House moves to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status, news reports say
Advertisement Citing three unnamed people familiar with the situation, the Post said the Treasury Department has asked the IRS's top attorney to take away Harvard's tax exemption. The exemption means there are no federal income taxes on donations to the university and on income from investments in its more than $50 billion endowment fund. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Also on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she was Advertisement Spokespeople for the White House and the IRS did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday night. In a statement, Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said, 'There is no legal basis to rescind Harvard's tax-exempt status.' 'Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission. It would result in diminished financial aid for students, abandonment of critical medical research programs, and lost opportunities for innovation,' Newton added. 'The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.' James Repetti, a Boston College law professor, said losing its tax-exempt status 'would be catastrophic for Harvard.' 'Their income would become taxable, their donations to Harvard would no longer be tax deductible,' he said. 'One of the incentives for people to make contributions to Harvard is that it reduces their tax liability, so it would be very difficult for them.' John Koskinen, who served as IRS commissioner from 2013 to 2017 under President Barack Obama, decried the move and said it was unlikely to withstand judicial review. 'It's troubling that the administration and the president would be, in effect, instructing the IRS to even look into this,' he said. Related : Koskinen said directing the IRS to revoke Harvard's tax exempt status would run afoul of that statute, which was enacted in response to President Richard Nixon's use of the agency to punish political opponents. Advertisement He and other experts said the only time a university's tax exemption has been revoked was in 1976, when the agency took the action against Bob Jones University, a private Christian institution in South Carolina that had a policy forbidding interracial dating by its students. The Supreme Court upheld the IRS action in 1983. 'I don't think that any president or vice president should single out any institution in America that they dislike by threatening their tax exempt status and or demanding an audit of them,' said Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts. He is the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees the IRS. In response to Trump's threat, Lawrence Gibbs, who served as IRS commissioner under President Ronald Reagan, said it is not unusual for elected officials from either party to ask the IRS to revoke tax exemptions for certain organizations, but the final decision has traditionally been left to the IRS alone. 'What is somewhat unusual, although there is precedent for it, is to have a politician who attempts to influence the Internal Revenue Service about whether or not to consider the request and whether or not to revoke the exemption,' Gibbs said Wednesday night. That precedent came under Nixon. Gibbs said he never received such a request from the Reagan White House during his time as IRS commissioner. If such a request had come through, he said, he would have referred it to the tax exemption wing of the IRS 'and tell them to handle it as they see fit.' Advertisement If the IRS takes action against Harvard, the university would have several avenues of appeal, starting with the agency's own process, Koskinen said. 'Usually a stay is put in place until the case is resolved,' he said. 'Clearly you have a right to object to an arbitrary decision by the agency, and especially one that's been dictated illegally by the president, so they wouldn't lose their tax exempt status overnight without warning.' The White House has ramped up its fight against Harvard after it defied the administration's demands. On Monday night, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding for the university. Asked about the tax threat on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt referred reporters to the IRS. But she also blasted Harvard for what she called illegal harassment and discrimination against Jewish students. 'Unfortunately, Harvard has not taken the president or the administration's demands seriously. All the president is asking [is] don't break federal law and then you can have your federal funding,' she said. Leavitt also suggested Harvard should not be receiving so much federal funding in the first place. 'I think the president is also begging a good question: more than $2 billion out the door to Harvard when they have a more than $50 billion endowment,' Leavitt said. 'Why are the American taxpayers subsidizing a university that has billions of dollars in the bank already? And we certainly should not be funding a place where such grave antisemitism exists.' Repetti of Boston College said Harvard's tax-exempt status should not be revoked. The university, 'is doing everything that is consistent with the underlying rationale for exempting nonprofit educational institutions from income tax,' Repetti said. 'I think it's shocking that we've come to this point in our nation's history that we're actually having to see something like this threatened. ... It's a very sad moment for our country.' Advertisement Mike Damiano of the Globe Staff contributed to this report. Jim Puzzanghera can be reached at
