Columbia agrees to pay $220 million to US administration over protests

Canada News.Net

5 days ago

NEW YORK CITY, New York: Columbia University has agreed to pay more than US$220 million to the U.S. government to regain federal research funding that had been cut earlier this year.
The Trump administration had canceled the funding due to what it said was the university's failure to adequately address antisemitism on campus, especially during student protests linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The settlement includes two parts:
$200 million will be paid over the next three years as a general settlement.
$21 million will go to resolve claims that Jewish employees faced discrimination after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Claire Shipman, Columbia's acting president, said the agreement helps the university move forward after months of federal pressure and uncertainty. Earlier this year, the government had already canceled over $400 million in grants and had threatened to take away more federal money.
To restore its funding, Columbia agreed to make significant changes, including:
Revising its student discipline process.
Applying a federal definition of antisemitism in both classroom teaching and student investigations.
Reviewing its Middle East studies to ensure they are balanced.
Hiring new faculty for its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.
Ending any programs that aim for race-based goals, quotas, or "unlawful" diversity targets.
Reporting to a federal monitor to prove its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs don't break the law.
Although Columbia did not admit to any wrongdoing, it agreed to these changes as part of the settlement. Shipman said the university's independence would be maintained despite the reforms.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon praised the deal, calling it a significant turning point in how universities that accept federal money are held accountable. She added that Columbia's changes could be a model for other elite colleges that want to show they support fairness and open debate.
President Trump also commented, saying Columbia had agreed to stop "ridiculous DEI policies" and to admit students based only on merit. He warned that other colleges may soon face similar action if they misused federal funds or failed to protect student rights.
Columbia's agreement follows months of controversy. The university became one of the first targets of the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests and rising campus tensions.
Some Jewish students said they faced insults, social exclusion, and embarrassment in class during the demonstrations. However, other Jewish students joined the protests, saying they were criticizing Israel's policies — not Judaism or Jews.
The university has had three interim presidents in the past year. Its leadership admits the campus atmosphere must change. As part of the deal, Columbia will now ask international applicants why they want to study in the U.S. and will promote respectful discussion on campus.
Columbia also agreed to share information with the government — if asked — about foreign students on visas who are suspended or expelled due to protests. This could make it easier for the Trump administration to deport certain student activists.
Just a day before the deal was announced, Columbia said it would expel, suspend, or revoke degrees from more than 70 students who joined a pro-Palestinian protest inside the main library and a previous demonstration held during alumni weekend.
The government pressure began with cuts in funding. A former student protester, Mahmoud Khalil, became the first non-citizen arrested as part of Trump's push to deport pro-Palestinian activists. Later, the Justice Department searched dorm rooms to see if the university was hiding people in the country illegally. Columbia responded that it would follow the law.
Columbia was the first significant test case in Trump's efforts to reshape higher education, but attention later shifted to Harvard, which decided to challenge the administration in court.
Trump's administration has used federal funding to force colleges to change. So far, over $2 billion has been withheld from top schools including Cornell, Brown, Northwestern, and Princeton. In one case, the University of Pennsylvania lost $175 million over a dispute involving transgender athlete Lia Thomas, which was returned after the school changed its policies.
The administration is also pressuring public universities. The University of Virginia president resigned in June after a federal probe into DEI practices, and a similar investigation just began at George Mason University.
This settlement at Columbia marks a turning point in how federal money is used to shape what happens on U.S. college campuses.