Columbia Missed the Academic Freedom Bus That Harvard Took

Harvard's legal challenge to Trump's pressure may set a precedent on the autonomy of universities

- ATANU BISWAS

In addition to his threatening tariffs, annexation pitches, immigration crackdowns and government job cuts, US President Donald Trump is seeking unprecedented control over university affairs. For decades, these academic institutions served as a pillar of American research, education and national growth. However, in 2021, J.D. Vance, Trump's deputy, referred to them as "the enemy." Perhaps in that spirit, Trump 2.0 has aggressively targeted universities, asking them to end diversity initiatives and alleged antisemitism on campuses. Federal funding for research at US universities totaling hundreds of millions of dollars has been suspended by Washington.

After threatening around 60 other universities, in mid-March the Trump administration withdrew $400 million in federal funding from Columbia, an Ivy League university. As described by Columbia's Professor Sheldon Pollock, the government sent the university a "ransom note" with many preconditions for restoring the funding. With a $15 billion endowment and many generous and wealthy alumni, Columbia had a unique opportunity to script history. It, however, failed to take it and agreed to major concessions demanded by the federal government. The Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce interpreted it as "Columbia FOLDS."