Columbia University on the brink of a financial agreement with the Trump administration, planned to part with numerous millions in exchange for federal grant access.
Columbia University is set to implement changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies following a preliminary agreement with the Trump administration. The deal, which aims to address concerns about antisemitism and discrimination while restoring funding, is expected to see the university regain access to over $400 million in federal funding that was frozen due to alleged failures to address harassment and discrimination against Jewish students.
The agreement, which is still under negotiation, includes several key details. Columbia would commit to greater transparency by publicly disclosing hiring and admissions data to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action and to provide oversight of its policies related to diversity and equity.
The university would also pay compensation to victims of unlawful discrimination, although the exact amount and the identities of the recipients have not been disclosed. Additionally, the agreement would solidify reporting obligations related to foreign funding sources, including millions in undisclosed funding from Qatar, which has been linked to anti-Semitic incidents on campus.
Notably, the deal excludes some more severe initial Trump administration demands, such as a formal consent decree and structural reforms to Columbia’s governance, which had been criticized as potentially undermining academic freedom. Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, would be involved in monitoring the university’s compliance with the terms of the agreement.
Claire Shipman, acting President of Columbia University, has highlighted the importance of restoring Columbia’s partnership with the federal government and has indicated that the financial pressures faced by the university due to the administration’s campaign are increasingly acute. Shipman has taken aim at criticism that a resolution would amount to "capitulation."
However, some stakeholders, including Columbia Jewish alumni, have expressed concern that the lack of governance reforms means the university may evade full accountability and that the deal could send a weak message on the intolerance of antisemitism. The deal frames a compromise to restore funding while imposing requirements on Columbia to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion policies through transparency and compensation, but it stops short of enforcing structural governance changes demanded earlier by the administration.
The White House has been aiming to strike a deal with a high-profile university, such as Columbia, and the settlement with both universities is expected to involve a significant amount of money. The school's board of trustees met on July 6 to review the terms of the deal, and talks between Columbia University and the Trump administration are ongoing, with no resolution at this time.
- The agreement between Columbia University and the Trump administration, as it stands, is set to impose requirements on the university to heighten transparency, ensure compliance with affirmative action bans, and provide compensation for victims of discrimination.
- The deal regarding Columbia's diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, which is still in negotiation, also includes oversight of the university's policies, reporting obligations related to foreign funding sources, and Monitoring by Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights.
