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Recognized as one of the top-tier educational institutions in America, Harvard University has become a politically charged institution. As time passes, President Alan Garber’s daunting job only seems to get tougher, especially now that the Trump administration is enforcing stricter measures against universities suspected of antisemitism and encouraging ideological uniformity. These measures come after a recent set of reforms.
Recently, around $9 billion that Harvard University’s research facilities and affiliated hospitals receive in grants has come under threat due to a comprehensive federal funding review. This has put the university alongside Columbia University, who had to agree to severe changes after losing approximately $400 million in federal funding. These actions also turned Columbia into a victim.
Nothing reformative stands out so far as Granber's administration came under scrutiny immediately. Granber enacted numerous changes, including:
- The abolition of the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) policies.
- Setting up taskforces to deal with antisemitism and Islamophobia.
- Overhauling the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and other sensitive programs.
Mixed feelings were felt among staff when Harvard distant itself from Birzeit University situated in the West Bank, a measure that was welcomed by conservative faculty but baffled liberal professors.
Princeton University is also facing suspensions of some of its grants after the newest edition of the White House's investigation was released on Monday. This is in addition to the official investigation by the university regarding its Trump-era policies.
The Grandfather's War on “Leftist” Academia
Every nonprofit liberal institution in the United States caps out at $20 million a year. During the Trump presidency, it was his goal to eliminate funding for what he deemed as useless elite ultra liberal colleges. What began as *Israel vs. Hamas* incendiary and little understood protest reaction issues turned into one of more serious problems at least in the opinion of some, more like witch hunting, as a wider approach on the ideology basis of citizenship was formed.
Over 60 colleges are now under investigation by Trump's And His Friends Task Force Against Anti-Semitism founded over 6 months ago. These institutions, according to Trump and his fans, encourage “unpatriotic” behavior and anti intellectualism while, on the other side, the so called evidence that was gathered clearly shows how these institutions are being used to crush any possibility of independent thought under the shining label of sympathy for Jews.
Vice President J.D. Vance, known for his aggressive conservative views, hinted at this tactic back in 2021 when he said, “We need to aggressively attack the universities in this country.”
Garber’s Tightrope Walk
Stuck in the maelstrom, Garber is attempting to accomplish an almost impossible feat. He is trying to push through reform while protecting academic freedom. In recent weeks, his actions include:
Removing hiring DEI stipulations
Encouraging different points of view
Assured the community the university still stands for open inquiry
Even so, there is increased faculty dissatisfaction. Some faculty blame Garber for “giving into political demands” and goes against institutional priorities. Political scientific Ryan Enos, one of the several professors who wrote a letter to Harvard's governing board, said the administration is “caving in to people who don’t care about antisemitism and just want to destroy the autonomy of the universities.”
Garber wrote an emotional open letter to the whole campus countering that, “I have experienced anti-Semitism firsthand, even when I was serving as president.” He restated his goals of inclusivity while still having concern for Harvard's core principles.
This changes everything for higher education
These events in Harvard and Princeton are signs that Columbia was only the beginning. Elite academic institutions are under threat after the government decided to apply an ideological shift using funding as leverage.
It remains an open question whether or not Garber's strategy divides compliance with resistance, and will shield Harvard from collateral damage. What is clear is that America’s prestigious universities are now in the epicenter of a political conflict that is extremely risky and could change the course of free speech, indpendence in education, and citizen’s faith in tertiary education for the worse.
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