Universities take action to brace for funding changes under Trump admin

• Columbia University is reportedly close to resolving a funding dispute with the Trump administration, agreeing to meet demands in exchange for the restoration of $400 million in federal grants. This comes after accusations of mishandling harassment of Jewish students.
• The University of California will stop requiring diversity statements in hiring.
• The Trump administration’s plans to cut research funding have led several universities, including UC, Harvard and Princeton, to implement hiring freezes to manage costs and prepare for potential financial impacts.

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Universities across the country are facing a choice to either comply with the Trump administration’s orders or lose federal funding. Now, at least one school is reportedly nearing an agreement to meet the demands amid a looming deadline.

Columbia University signaled Wednesday, March 19, it would abide by the administration’s requirements in return for restoring $400 million in federal funding, saying in a letter that it agreed to have discussions with federal regulators.

The Trump administration canceled the university’s federal grants in March, accusing it of “inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”

During the week of March 9, the administration sent a letter to the university laying out a list of demands Columbia must commit to by the end of business hours Thursday, March 20.

Will the school give in?

However, The Wall Street Journal reported the deadline has been extended to Friday, March 21, and the school is close to a resolution with the administration.

The university’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, said Wednesday that Columbia will “not waver from our principles and the values of academic freedom,” while also suggesting that the university would comply with the demands.

“We will also continue — as is our responsibility and as we have done throughout our history — to engage in constructive dialogue with our federal regulators, including on the work we are doing to address antisemitism, harassment and discrimination, the tangible progress we are making and the intensity of our commitment to this ongoing work.”

What did the Trump administration want the school to do?

The administration’s demands for Columbia include banning masks, “complete disciplinary proceedings” for some student protesters, formalizing a definition for antisemitism, reforming its admissions process and placing its Middle East, South Asian and African studies department under “academic receivership.”

Columbia already complied with another one of the administration’s demands to suspend or expel some of the pro-Palestinian students who participated in the takeover of Hamilton Hall, as well as temporarily revoking the diplomas of some graduates nearly a year after the takeover.

In the week of March 9, the Department of Education sent orders to 60 colleges warning of “enforcement actions” if schools fail to protect Jewish students on campus.

UC bans diversity statements in hiring

As the Trump administration challenges diversity programming in higher education, the University of California announced Wednesday that it would stop requiring the use of diversity statements in hiring.

Diversity statements usually ask job applicants to describe how they would contribute to campus diversity. It’s a practice that supporters praised, saying it made campuses more inclusive, while those who criticized the policy say DEI programs can lead to preferential treatment.

Despite the change, a university official said, “We will continue to embrace and celebrate Californians from a variety of life experiences, backgrounds and points of view.”

Why are some universities implementing a hiring freeze?

The University of California is also bracing for potential cuts in federal research funding after the Trump administration announced plans to slash reimbursements to universities.

A federal judge has halted the move for now, but UC joined the latest schools to announce hiring freezes, along with Princeton.

Officials said the freeze will help them avoid unnecessary costs, slow the growth of expenses and build savings.

Other top universities to announce hiring freezes include Harvard, Duke and Stanford.