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'Does not solve problem': Education secretary Linda McMahon on Harvard president Alan Garber's pay cut
'Does not solve problem': Education secretary Linda McMahon on Harvard president Alan Garber's pay cut

Time of India

time16-05-2025

  • Business
  • Time of India

'Does not solve problem': Education secretary Linda McMahon on Harvard president Alan Garber's pay cut

Education secretary Linda McMahon on Harvard president Alan Garber's pay cut (Picture credit: AP) US education secretary Linda McMahon has questioned the significance of Harvard University president Alan Garber's decision to take a 25% salary cut, arguing that it does little to address ongoing concerns about antisemitism and ideological imbalance on campus. "I'm not quite sure today with the president of Harvard, President Garber, taking a salary decrease is somehow a statement that they're changing their policies on antisemitism or racial discrimination," McMahon said on Fox Business' The Evening Edit. 'I don't think that does a whole lot to solve the problem', she added. Harvard confirmed Garber's voluntary pay cut will take effect in the 2025-26 academic year. The move follows the Trump administration's decision to freeze $2.2 billion in federal funding and later cut an additional $450 million, citing Harvard's failure to curb antisemitism and ideological bias. The university amended its lawsuit against the federal government on Tuesday after the second round of funding was terminated. The Trump administration's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said that Harvard had "repeatedly failed to confront the pervasive race discrimination and antisemitic harassment plaguing its campus." As per Fox News, the administration also warned that Harvard's tax-exempt status could be revoked if significant reforms are not implemented by August 2025. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like เทรดทองCFDs กับโบรกเกอร์ที่เชื่อถือได้ | เรียนรู้เพิ่มเติม IC Markets สมัคร Undo While Harvard insists the pay cut is part of broader cost-saving measures amid budget shortfalls, McMahon remains sceptical. She said the administration had attempted to engage Garber directly but was met with a lawsuit instead of dialogue. 'We wanted to sit down with President Garber. I spoke with him… and his answer was a lawsuit,' she further said. According to the Washington Post, Garber's salary reduction, though largely symbolic,estimated around $300,000 to $350,000 based on previous salaries, is part of a broader internal response to financial strain. Hiring has been paused, merit raises frozen, and faculty research funding scaled back. Ninety senior faculty members have pledged 10% of their salaries to support the university, and Harvard plans to allocate $250 million to fund research impacted by the cuts. Still, McMahon insists the core issue is civil rights, not free speech. 'It is clear antisemitism on campus is a civil rights violation,' she said. 'Jewish students will tell us they're even afraid to go to activities on campus. That's clearly civil rights violations .' As per The New York Times, Garber defended Harvard in a letter to McMahon, stating the university would comply with the law but would not "surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear of unfounded retaliation by the federal government." As the legal battle continues, the Trump administration has hinted it may cut another $1 billion in funding. Harvard, which first sued in April, has expanded its lawsuit to include more federal agencies.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon dismisses Harvard University president's pay cut amid antisemitism probe
Education Secretary Linda McMahon dismisses Harvard University president's pay cut amid antisemitism probe

Yahoo

time16-05-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Education Secretary Linda McMahon dismisses Harvard University president's pay cut amid antisemitism probe

Education Secretary Linda McMahon questioned Harvard University President Alan Garber's decision to take a 25% pay cut, saying she's not sure how that shows the university is changing policies on antisemitism or racial discrimination. A Harvard University spokesperson told Fox News Wednesday Garber agreed to take a 25% reduction in pay for the 2025-26 school year after the Trump administration cut $2.2 billion in funding to the university. McMahon was a guest on FOX Business' "The Evening Edit" Thursday, and she opened up about the situation at the elite Ivy League institution and Garber's reduction in pay. "I'm not quite sure today with the president of Harvard, President Garber, taking a salary decrease is somehow a statement that they're changing their policies on antisemitism or racial discrimination. I don't think that does a whole lot to solve the problem," McMahon told host Elizabeth MacDonald. Harvard Updates Lawsuit After Trump Cancels Additional $450M In Funding "And if you just look at some of the stats, I mean, the Harvard Crimson even reported that ... in their own research over the last couple of years, 2% to 3% of the faculty are conservative. And you just can't have that kind of discrepancy without having the theology or ideology be biased across campus." Read On The Fox News App Harvard on Tuesday filed an update to its lawsuit against the Trump administration after another $450 million of research funding was cut. The Massachusetts school amended the lawsuit hours after the federal government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced that eight federal agencies were terminating approximately $450 million in grants over what is described as Harvard's "radical" and "dark problem" on campus. "Harvard University has repeatedly failed to confront the pervasive race discrimination and antisemitic harassment plaguing its campus," the task force said in a statement. The latest freeze comes in addition to $2.2 billion in funding already withheld and threats by the Trump administration to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status. Harvard University President Takes 25% Pay Cut Amid Trump Administration Funding Freeze Harvard filed its initial lawsuit in April to block $2.2 billion in funding from being denied. In its amended lawsuit, Harvard said much of the funding that was initially frozen has now been terminated, apparently with no hope of restoring it. McMahon told MacDonald she did not think Harvard has changed its practices, adding the Trump administration has gone to the university to investigate. "We wanted to sit down with President Garber. I spoke with him," McMahon said. "We were going to sit down and discuss things, and we had sent a letter … and asked him to come to the table. And his answer was a lawsuit that Harvard filed." Since then, she said, there has been other communication with Garber, noting the Trump administration was doing some of the things without taking away the lawsuit. But she added she is willing to discuss with Harvard officials what the university is doing differently. Trump Froze Funding For Harvard. Money To These Universities May Also Be On The Chopping Block McMahon acknowledged Harvard has tried to make changes, including asking the chair of the school's Middle East Studies department to step down. She made it clear, though, that the Trump administration is not taking anything off the table. "It is clear antisemitism on campus is a civil rights violation, and Harvard has argued, as other elite universities have, that … maybe their First Amendment rights are being abridged," McMahon said. "This is not about the First Amendment. This is civil rights. "When you put other students at risk, their safety is of concern," she added. "And their Jewish students will tell us that they're even afraid to go to activities on campus. That's clearly civil rights violations. Yes, that does bear investigation, and we're not taking anything off the table." Harvard has become a target of Trump's broader crackdown on universities, much of which is in response to last year's anti-Israel unrest that erupted on campuses across the country. Does Harvard Deserve War With Trump, Or Is Government Overstepping? Campus Reacts To Funding Battle On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Garber and Harvard Corporation Lead Member Penny Pritzker outlining the institution's failures and a list of demands from the White House. In the letter, the administration accused Harvard of failing to uphold civil rights laws and to foster an "environment that produces intellectual creativity." The Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding if Harvard did not reform governance and leadership and its hiring and admissions practices by August 2025. The letter emphasized the need for Harvard to change its international admissions process to avoid admitting students who are "hostile" to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism. Harvard refused to comply with the demands, and Garber said "no government … should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and areas of study and inquiry they can pursue." The Trump administration then froze $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard and is reportedly looking to slash another billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. The university later filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its "unlawful" freezing of funds. Fox News Digital's Greg Norman, Andrea Margolis, Stephen Sorace and Bonny Chu contributed to this article source: Education Secretary Linda McMahon dismisses Harvard University president's pay cut amid antisemitism probe

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