Columbia reduces positions as universities prepare for battle over federal funding
On Tuesday, nearly 180 Columbia staff members involved in programs affected by the funding withdrawal by the Trump administration will be terminated.
TroibNews 
Columbia University has announced plans to lay off nearly 180 staff members involved with grants that were cut by the Trump administration, as major universities nationwide prepare for an ongoing battle over federal funding.
According to the Ivy League institution, these layoffs are a direct consequence of the “intense” financial pressure resulting from a $400 million reduction in federal funding, which the university is still working to recover.
“In the coming weeks and months, we will need to continue to take actions that preserve our financial flexibility and allow us to invest in areas that drive us forward,” stated a letter from Claire Shipman, the university’s acting president, and others. “This is a deeply challenging time across all higher education, and we are attempting to navigate through tremendous ambiguity with precision, which will be imperfect at times.”
The roughly 180 employees affected by the cuts account for about 20 percent of those funded by the now-canceled grants, according to the letter. In response to potential future funding challenges, Columbia has also established a “Research Stabilization Fund” to support its scientific community.
Columbia has faced significant scrutiny from President Donald Trump's administration, which has targeted major educational institutions in an effort to address what it perceives as antisemitism on campuses, especially following last year's surge of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The university is currently under multiple federal investigations and has become a focal point in Trump's campaign to deport international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, including Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student and green card holder detained by immigration authorities since March.
In March, the university complied with several demands from the Trump administration regarding campus policies and governance, which the administration insisted were necessary for restoring federal funding. However, the interim president who agreed to these terms has since resigned.
While Columbia has acquiesced to Trump’s demands, institutions such as Harvard University continue to resist his administration's attempts to influence academic practices.
The Trump administration has repeatedly targeted Harvard after it declined to comply with a list of demands issued by the White House in April, including the potential loss of over $2.2 billion in federal funding and threats to its tax-exempt status. Harvard has filed a lawsuit against the administration over the funding cut.
In a recent act of retaliation, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to Harvard on Monday, notifying the institution that it is now ineligible to receive new research grants from the federal government.
Harvard University President Alan Garber has emphasized that although he supports efforts to enhance ideological diversity on campus, the demands from the White House jeopardize the institution's academic freedom. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Tuesday, Garber noted Columbia's struggles with negotiations, suggesting it may not be a viable route for other institutions.
“What I have heard is that Columbia had still not resolved their issues with the federal government after many weeks of negotiations, so undoubtedly that has made institutions think that that may not always be the most promising path,” Garber remarked during the interview, which was conducted last week.
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
According to the Ivy League institution, these layoffs are a direct consequence of the “intense” financial pressure resulting from a $400 million reduction in federal funding, which the university is still working to recover.
“In the coming weeks and months, we will need to continue to take actions that preserve our financial flexibility and allow us to invest in areas that drive us forward,” stated a letter from Claire Shipman, the university’s acting president, and others. “This is a deeply challenging time across all higher education, and we are attempting to navigate through tremendous ambiguity with precision, which will be imperfect at times.”
The roughly 180 employees affected by the cuts account for about 20 percent of those funded by the now-canceled grants, according to the letter. In response to potential future funding challenges, Columbia has also established a “Research Stabilization Fund” to support its scientific community.
Columbia has faced significant scrutiny from President Donald Trump's administration, which has targeted major educational institutions in an effort to address what it perceives as antisemitism on campuses, especially following last year's surge of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The university is currently under multiple federal investigations and has become a focal point in Trump's campaign to deport international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, including Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student and green card holder detained by immigration authorities since March.
In March, the university complied with several demands from the Trump administration regarding campus policies and governance, which the administration insisted were necessary for restoring federal funding. However, the interim president who agreed to these terms has since resigned.
While Columbia has acquiesced to Trump’s demands, institutions such as Harvard University continue to resist his administration's attempts to influence academic practices.
The Trump administration has repeatedly targeted Harvard after it declined to comply with a list of demands issued by the White House in April, including the potential loss of over $2.2 billion in federal funding and threats to its tax-exempt status. Harvard has filed a lawsuit against the administration over the funding cut.
In a recent act of retaliation, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to Harvard on Monday, notifying the institution that it is now ineligible to receive new research grants from the federal government.
Harvard University President Alan Garber has emphasized that although he supports efforts to enhance ideological diversity on campus, the demands from the White House jeopardize the institution's academic freedom. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Tuesday, Garber noted Columbia's struggles with negotiations, suggesting it may not be a viable route for other institutions.
“What I have heard is that Columbia had still not resolved their issues with the federal government after many weeks of negotiations, so undoubtedly that has made institutions think that that may not always be the most promising path,” Garber remarked during the interview, which was conducted last week.
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
