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Boston Globe

Harvard needs its big donors now more than ever. But some are wary of the school's standoff with Trump.

Harvard's alumni span the political spectrum, and donations have surged since the university said it would stand up to the Trump administration, which has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding for what it says is egregious campus antisemitism. Advertisement But some major donors, including those with buildings named after them on the hallowed campus, have been frustrated with the university's response, according to interviews with donors and administrators. They feel Harvard should make a deal, not pitch a fight, and worry that the fallout could damage an institution they love — as demonstrated yet again Monday when the White House declared Harvard would Related : Some, too, quietly support some of the changes the White House is pushing regarding antisemitism on campus and viewpoint diversity, even if they feel President Trump's tactics go way too far. In recent days, announced Advertisement Over the past year, even before Trump's demands, the university has also stiffened speech, and formed task forces to study antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the environment for open dialogue. Jewish students and staff members at Harvard who've voiced worry about antisemitism have said the campus Related : The changes seem to be resonating with some of Harvard's biggest patrons. Len Blavatnik, a Ukrainian-born billionaire who has long been a prominent donor, had paused his donations due to concerns about campus antisemitism amid Israel's war in Gaza. But he recently altered that stance, a spokesperson said, releasing 'a portion of his funding,' to support scholarships at Harvard Business School, the new American Repertory Theatre under construction in Allston, and several research projects. Contruction in progress of the new American Reperatory Theatre in Harvard property in Allston. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff 'Although the pace of change is not as fast as many people would have liked, he believes Harvard is moving in the right direction and that the Trump administration should give them more time,' the spokesperson said. Advertisement Likewise, Peter Malkin, a real estate investor, former Harvard overseer, and namesake of the Malkin Athletic Center, said that while the federal demands are 'overreaching and excessive,' he viewed Harvard's moves to centralize discipline and to end funding for affinity graduation ceremonies as 'another step forward.' 'Hopefully president [Alan] Garber with support from the Corporation will continue his program of reforming Harvard, disregarding the federal intervention and doing what is correct and best for Harvard,' Malkin, who has been critical of Harvard and the Corporation, said in an interview with the Globe. 'Hopefully Harvard will win in court on not permitting that kind of governmental interference in independent colleges and universities, and certainly in reinstituting the grants for scientific and medical research, which really have nothing to do with antisemitism.' The Malkin Athletic Center on Harvard's Allston campus. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Still, some donors question the school's tactics. Garber has heard from several high-profile donors worried that Harvard seriously misstepped by choosing to fight instead of negotiating with the Trump administration, said one Harvard administrator who asked for anonymity to speak candidly. Many saw the government's asks as overreaching but believed the correct way to deal with Trump was to find common ground and continue to negotiate. Now, the university is turning to donors, including those who wanted to see Harvard negotiate with Trump, for help amid the federal funding freeze. Related : Jeff Sklar, a senior finance executive and adviser to many prominent business leaders with Harvard ties, said his phone began to blow up during a Zoom meeting Garber held with alumni last week. It was text messages from fellow Harvard Business School alums frustrated that the call centered more on Harvard's finances than on measures to address antisemitism. Advertisement He said that many alumni feel as though Garber and the Corporation have a fiduciary obligation to Harvard's larger community of alumni, donors, and other stakeholders. 'I love the school, particularly the Harvard Business School,' Sklar said. 'But I don't want [Garber] to over-assert himself and burn the school to the ground.' In a post on X not long after Harvard refused to comply with the Trump administration's demands, hedge fund billionaire and outspoken Harvard critic Bill Ackman put his interpretation of his alma mater's defiance even more bluntly. 'Apparently @Harvard prefers to euthanize research animals and cut scientific research rather than eliminate its enormous bureaucracy, shut down its racist and illegal DEI programs, and cut back funding for gender and Marxist studies,' he wrote. Bill Ackman, founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, has been an outspoken critic of Harvard University. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images (A Harvard scientist told the And some donors still seethe over what they view as festering antisemitism on campus. Antony Gordon, a graduate of Harvard Law School and donor based in Southern California, said he believes that Harvard would have reacted differently to concerns about discrimination by other groups, and that the problem of campus antisemitism is urgent. 'To get the attention' of Harvard leaders, he said, 'you have to hit them where it hurts on the financial side.' Related : In the wake of Gaza protests last year, business school alum Jeremy Freedman withdrew a planned seven-figure gift to Harvard from his will. Last week, he said he wants the White House to do everything in its power to push Harvard to fight antisemitism. Advertisement 'I'm delighted that the Trump administration is whacking [Harvard] over the head with a massive 2x4 because nothing else gets Harvard's attention,' Freedman said. 'I hope they lose every nickel of federal funding and the lawsuits against them are massively successful.' Garber, who is Jewish, Harvard University president Alan Garber, at last year's Commencement. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff 'We have done a lot to improve our ability to address these problems over the past year and a half,' Related : Some prominent donors are in fact delighted by the university's defiance in the face of Trump's demands. If anything, said Paul Buttenweiser, a prominent donor and former member of the Harvard Board of Overseers, the fight has unified many in the Harvard community. 'I think everybody wanted President Garber to take the stance that he did in his letter,' Buttenweiser said.'I know a lot of people who were critical of Harvard on both sides of its stance last year. That's completely changed, I don't know anybody who's sour on Harvard today.' And many donors, said former Harvard President Larry Summers, sit somewhere in the middle. They want to see 'substantial change, without capitulation.' Advertisement 'Most of the big donors think that the Trump administration's ask was a massive overreach,' Summers said. 'You can't have the government applying a review of who's going to be appointed to faculty committees. You can't have litmus tests for hiring.' Those demands — anathema to a university that's older than the United States — are a big reason the fight got so intense so quickly, observers say. Many Harvard donors understand that, and also recognize that yielding to Trump would have only invite more demands. But they worry that Harvard's decision to fight could spiral. Harvard is standing on its ideals, said Larry Ladd, a former budget officer at the school and now a financing expert at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. And even major donors only have so much sway over those. 'These donors are accustomed to a single source of ownership, such as shareholders. They are accustomed to money being the primary driver of decisions,' he said. 'For Harvard, the primary accountability isn't to money but to mission.' Eliot House at Harvard University. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Hilary Burns can be reached at