Harvard's Research Funding Takes a Dramatic Hit: A Bitter Pill for the Ivy League Giant
Harvard adjusts legal action following Trump's termination of supplementary $450M financing
Let's talk about the recent blow Harvard University has been dealt with its research funding. Amber Duke, Steamboat Institute's Blankley fellow, shares her takes on this controversial issue during her appearance on 'Fox & Friends First.'
In a shocking turn of events, Harvard University, the prestigious Ivy League school, found itself in hot water after another $450 million of research funding was pulled. The university quickly amended its lawsuit against the Trump administration in response to the federal government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism shutting down these grants.
The Task Force accused Harvard of harboring a "radical" and "dark problem" on campus, citing the pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment that allegedly persist on the university's premises. This latest funding freeze piles onto the already frozen $2.2 billion in grants and the Trump administration's threats to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status.
Harvard had initially filed a lawsuit in April to contest the initial $2.2 billion freeze. In its updated lawsuit, the university claimed that the majority of the previously frozen funds have now been terminated, with no chance of restoration. A May 6 letter from the National Institute of Health communicated the cuts, citing campus antisemitism as the reason for the grants' termination.
Similar letters followed from the Defense Department, Department of Energy, and other agencies, according to the lawsuit. Harvard is now seeking to overturn these cuts.
As the institution scrambles to maintain its financial stability amidst the Trump administration's funding freeze, Harvard University President Alan Garber has agreed to reduce his salary by 25% for the 2025-26 academic year. Other leaders at the university are also contributing voluntarily.
In the midst of this turmoil, the university has taken drastic measures to shore up its finances, such as:
- Diverting $250 million from its central budget to support research projects and keep critical work ongoing. This allocation represents a 50% increase over the university's annual $500 million spend on research, tipping the scales toward central funds instead of the endowment.
- Imposing a hiring freeze and rejecting admission to waitlisted graduate applicants.
- Borrows $750 million in taxable debt through the bond market.
Harvard leaders expressed concern that the funding cuts could inflict lasting harm on the national scientific research enterprise, highlighting what they view as a broader campaign targeting scientific research funding.
Pat yourselves on the back, folks. You've just gotten a glimpse of the whirlwind Harvard is navigating right now. Stay tuned for more updates as this story unfolds, grumpy cat!
* Our digital's Greg Wehner and our digital's Kitty Le Claire, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report. *
Interesting nuggets:
- Harvard University accounts for approximately 10% of its total operating budget from federal research funding, with that amount being more than twice the amount of its non-federal sponsored funding[1].
- The funding freeze and cuts could have severe and lasting negative impacts on the national scientific research enterprise[1].
- To address financial challenges, Harvard University has allocated internal resources and taken legal action to maintain its research activities[1][2][3].
- Despite the ongoing political controversy, the funding freeze and cuts in research grants at Harvard University could have a significant impact on areas beyond politics, such as health, education-and-self-development, and general-news, given that the university's research plays a crucial role in advancing knowledge and innovation in these fields.
- The recent funding crisis faced by Harvard University, which results from the federal government's freeze on research grants, has sparked concerns in various sectors, including politics, health, education-and-self-development, and general-news, as the University's research contributes significantly to the understanding and development of these fields.
