The university accused the federal government of trying to impose ‘direct governmental regulation’ on its academic programs.
Harvard University will not comply with the Trump administration’s demands to dismantle diversity programs or limit student protests in exchange for continued access to federal research funding.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard president Alan Garber wrote in a campus-wide message on Monday afternoon.
The announcement comes amid a growing standoff between elite academic institutions and the federal government.
Two weeks ago, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, along with the General Services Administration, launched a review of approximately $9 billion in federal funding provided to Harvard. Days later, the administration sent the university an initial list of “areas of reform that the government views as necessary for Harvard University’s continued financial relationship with the United States government.”
Those steps include the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, a ban on face coverings during protests, and reforms to admissions and hiring systems that prioritize merit-based criteria over race- or gender-based preferences. The letter also urges the university to fully cooperate with federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, and to pursue structural reforms and leadership changes to ensure long-term compliance.
On April 11, the three agencies sent the university another letter with a more detailed list of demands.
“The United States has invested in Harvard University’s operations because of the value to the country of scholarly discovery and academic excellence. But an investment is not an entitlement,” the letter read. “It depends on Harvard upholding federal civil rights laws, and it only makes sense if Harvard fosters the kind of environment that produces intellectual creativity and scholarly rigor, both of which are antithetical to ideological capture.”
This new letter instructed Harvard to overhaul its international admissions process to screen out applicants deemed “hostile to American values” or “supportive of terrorism or anti-Semitism.” It also called on the university to commission an external audit of faculty, students, staff, and leadership to assess “viewpoint diversity” across all departments and academic units.
By Bill Pan
