In Washington, the Trump administration has issued a set of conditions to Harvard University for maintaining nearly $9 billion in grants and federal contracts amid an investigation targeting antisemitism on its campus. Three federal agencies detailed these conditions in a letter sent on Thursday to the university’s president, portraying them as essential prerequisites for continuing financial partnerships with the government. This situation mirrors a previous demand placed on Columbia University, which compelled changes under the looming threat of significant financial cutbacks.
The letter and its demands have sparked pushback from some of Harvard’s alumni and faculty, who criticize the government’s intervention as an encroachment on academic freedom. Kirsten Weld, a history professor at Harvard and president of the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors, described the maneuver as a “dominance test” by the government rather than a genuine anti-antisemitism effort. Weld warned that acquiescence by Harvard could lead to perpetually increasing demands.
Harvard is the fifth institution in the Ivy League to be targeted by this administrative campaign, which has also paused federal funding for universities such as Penn, Brown, and Princeton, to ensure alignment with its objectives. The government’s letter insists that Harvard has neglected its responsibility to protect staff and students from antisemitic threats and harassment and must act promptly to preserve its funding.
Harvard confirmed receipt of the letter but refrained from further commentary. Among the stipulations is a ban on face masks — a stipulation that previously applied to Columbia and is primarily directed at pro-Palestinian protesters—along with a call for enhancing clarity in Harvard’s policies on campus speech regarding the organization of protests. The letter also seeks a reassessment and modification of academic departments purportedly fostering antisemitic behavior to advance diversity in viewpoints, though it does not specifically identify any department.
Although the demands for Harvard are notably less prescriptive than those directed at Columbia, they emphasize “lasting, structural reforms” and notably omit a strict compliance deadline. A group of distinguished alumni has urged university leaders to resist and legally oppose these demands, citing threats to both academic liberty and autonomous governance. However, other voices, like Harvard Divinity School alumnus Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum, support the financial threats as a valid means to ensure equitable treatment of students.
In a related probe, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating campus antisemitism at the University of California, summoning hundreds of faculty members’ information tied to letters about Hamas’s actions in Israel and subsequent concerns for Jewish students’ security during protests. Severin Borenstein, a signatory and professor at UC Berkeley, criticized the administration’s tactics as a guise to undermine higher education.
Some Harvard letter conditions align with Trump’s broader agenda, like advocating for “merit-based” admissions and employment, and eliminating race, religion, or gender-based preferences. Harvard is also directed to dismantle diversity programs teaching identity and race-based assumptions and comply with regulations mandating foreign gift and contract disclosures, amidst Republican concerns over potential Chinese influence in U.S. educational institutions.
Harvard’s eligibility for substantial contracts and grants amounting to over $8 billion is currently under scrutiny, prompting President Alan Garber to assert the university’s resolute effort against antisemitism and its commitment to transparently reporting to government authorities.