Columbia University to pay $200million to settle clash with Trump admin; accepts other demands too: 10 things to know about their deal
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The agreement requires the Ivy League institution to pay $200 million across three years, plus an additional $21 million to address alleged civil rights violations against Jewish staff following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
"This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty," acting University President Claire Shipman said.
The institution faced potential losses of billions in government support, including over $400 million in cancelled grants. The funding was withdrawn due to the university's alleged inadequate response to antisemitism during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
10 things to know more about agreement
Columbia has accepted various administrative requirements, including restructuring student disciplinary procedures and implementing a federally-endorsed definition of antisemitism in teaching and disciplinary matters involving students critical of Israel. The agreement, which includes no admission of wrongdoing, formalises these changes whilst maintaining university independence, according to Shipman.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "I am pleased to announce that the Trump Administration has reached a historic agreement with Columbia University. Columbia has agreed to pay a penalty of $200 Million Dollars to the United States Government for violating Federal Law, in addition to over $20 Million to their Jewish employees who were unlawfully targeted and harassed. Columbia has also committed to ending their ridiculous DEI policies, admitting students based ONLY on MERIT, and protecting the Civil Liberties of their students on campus. Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money, much of it from our government, are upcoming. It's a great honor to have been involved, and I want to thank and congratulate Secretary Linda McMahon, and all those who worked with us on this important deal. I also want to thank and commend Columbia University for agreeing to do what is right. I look forward to watching them have a great future in our Country, maybe greater than ever before!"
Education Secretary Linda McMahon described the deal as "a seismic shift in our nation's fight to hold institutions that accept American taxpayer dollars accountable for antisemitic discrimination and harassment." "Columbia's reforms are a roadmap for elite universities that wish to regain the confidence of the American public by renewing their commitment to truth-seeking, merit, and civil debate," McMahon stated.
The pact comes after months of uncertainty and fraught negotiations at the more than 270-year-old university. It was among the first targets of Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus protests and on colleges that he asserts have allowed Jewish students be threatened and harassed. Columbia's own antisemitism task force found last summer that Jewish students had faced verbal abuse, ostracism and classroom humiliation during the spring 2024 demonstrations.
The agreement includes previously announced changes from March, such as reviewing Middle East curriculum for balance, strengthening the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, and discontinuing programmes that promote unlawful race-based outcomes.
The agreement requires Columbia to question international students about their motivations for studying in America and share information about disciplinary actions involving student visa holders with the government.
The pressure on Columbia began with a series of funding cuts. Then Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student who had been a visible figure in the protests, became the first person detained in the Trump administration's push to deport pro-Palestinian activists who aren't U.S. citizens.
Columbia was an early test case for the Trump administration as it sought closer oversight of universities that the Republican president views as bastions of liberalism. Yet it soon was overshadowed by Harvard University, which became the first higher education institution to defy Trump's demands and fight back in court.
The Trump administration has used federal research funding as its primary lever in its campaign to reshape higher education. More than $2 billion in total has also been frozen at Cornell, Northwestern, Brown and Princeton universities.
Columbia's reinstatement for federal research funding marks a significant development. The institution's removal from the federal blacklist enables access to previously frozen grant funds. Scientists at the university can now utilise their approved grants that were suspended. Additionally, the academic community at Columbia regains eligibility to apply for new federal research grants.
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