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Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Can donors fill the major budget holes that colleges face under Trump?
Harvard University saw a surge in donations in the spring after its president pushed back against the Trump administration PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES WASHINGTON - The T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University has not been disguising its plight. 'With Harvard's federal funding frozen, we are relying on philanthropy to power our research and support our educational programs,' the school's donation website says. 'Your ongoing engagement is vital to keeping our mission on track.' The Trump administration's decision to block billions of dollars in research money to certain colleges is forcing administrators and their fundraising teams to scrounge for cash. As schools across the country contemplate layoffs, lab shutdowns and other drastic steps, they are weighing how much the gaps can be plugged by private philanthropy – and how pointedly political their pleas for donations ought to be. A handful are wagering that the financial rewards of trying to leverage donors' concerns about the federal cuts will outweigh the risk of antagonising the White House. In an April 30 note to alumni, Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said about three dozen of its grants and contracts had been cancelled, and that the government had stopped funding many research grants. She said news reports stated that the Trump administration had threatened an additional US$510 million (S$650.5 million) in grants and contracts to the university. The moves, she wrote, represented 'a significant threat to Brown's financial sustainability'. She urged alumni to lobby lawmakers about the issue and added links for making donations to the university, including to support research whose federal funding was cancelled or delayed. (Brown said data was not yet available for release about whether giving had increased as a result.) Many other institutions have opted for more caution. Mr Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education and a former leader of Occidental College, suggested that some schools may be worried about turning off right-leaning donors who may agree with President Donald Trump's opinion that academia has tilted too far to the left. Some schools would like to emphasise the political attacks in their fundraising appeals, Mitchell said, 'but their donor base is at least purple, if not red, and it's tough for them to make a really anti-Trump statement and keep their donor base.' A White House spokesperson, Mr Harrison Fields, said colleges and universities should address their financial problems by tightening their belts. 'If these higher education institutions were serious about lowering costs,' he said in an emailed statement, 'they would cut the bloated salaries of their faculty and stop wasting money on useless programs that do little to advance education.' Universities have been grappling for months with sudden losses of research funding that cumulatively threaten thousands of jobs and an array of carefully planned projects. Relationships with donors can be fickle and fleeting, and many of the wealthiest donors have complex financial pictures with overlapping interests. And while universities collectively pull in billions of dollars in gifts each year, some of their causes are easier sells than others. Student financial aid, for instance, is a reliable attraction for donors. Scientific research, on the other hand, is a notoriously tricky target in fundraising efforts, though some of the biggest gifts are tied to the sciences. Even if appeals to bolster threatened research could raise millions of dollars, it might not be enough to replace the hundreds of millions or even billions that colleges and universities stand to lose in the federal cuts. Harvard, for example, said that in its 2024 fiscal year, it received about US$528 million in current-use gifts. In that same period, the university received about US$687 million from the federal government for research. Harvard received a surge in donations this spring after its president wrote a scathing letter to the Trump administration, according to the university's student newspaper, The Crimson. The university did not provide data on donations for this article. Even so, private fundraising by colleges and universities seems unlikely to be enough to fill the void. 'I think we can be sure that the amount of money would not come close to replacing what has been suspended,' said Mr Lee C. Bollinger, who has served as president of Columbia University and the University of Michigan. 'You're not going to make that up with donations.' One task for college leaders is to discern how much they should emphasise politics in their appeals, whether in public solicitations for money or private meetings with their biggest givers. Referring to the Trump administration's funding cuts, Mr Bollinger said, 'I think universities, broadly speaking, have been very clear in saying this is an overreach and an assault and intrudes into areas of academic decision-making and is part of a broader effort to break down the norms.' Still, he added, 'I don't need to go in and talk to a donor and make the case that we're up against authoritarianism and we really need your help. I think it can be much more delicately handled than that.' One looming question for higher education is whether this burst of government hostility, however long it lasts, will force a wholesale rethinking of how to fund universities. Mr Bollinger has found himself wondering whether institutions should routinely designate a portion of the contributions they take in as 'a fund to support freedom of the university when it's under assault'. Such a strategy, he conceded, would have limits. 'Over time, you could build up a substantial reserve – a rainy-day fund, but for these kinds of assaults,' he said. 'But it would only get you through a period of time.' Trump administration officials, among others, have urged universities with multibillion-dollar endowments to tap them to replace lost federal money. But there are often restrictions on how a university may use its endowment money. In many instances, donors have attached conditions to their contributions, specifying that the money go toward a specific discipline or department. And now a Republican-backed bill moving through Congress may increase the taxes that universities pay on their endowments. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Harvard and Trump restart talks to potentially end bitter dispute
Harvard representatives sought a meeting after other higher education leaders expressed hope that it – on behalf of academia – would reengage with the administration. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES WASHINGTON - Harvard University and the Trump administration have restarted talks to potentially settle the acrimonious dispute that led President Donald Trump to wage a far-reaching attack on the school and raised stark questions about the federal government's place in higher education, according to three people briefed on the negotiations. The discussions began again this week at a meeting in the White House. At the meeting, Harvard representatives showed White House officials a PowerPoint presentation that laid out measures the school has taken on anti-Semitism , viewpoint diversity and admissions. In turn, the White House signalled other steps it would like for Harvard to take on those subjects and later sent a letter laying out conditions that could resolve the conflict, according to one of the people. It is unclear how Harvard plans to respond to the letter. A university spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. Harvard representatives sought a meeting after other higher education leaders expressed hope that it – on behalf of academia – would reengage with the administration. And Harvard's outreach came after Education Secretary Linda McMahon publicly raised the prospect of negotiations with a university she routinely criticised . Harvard officials sensed an opening and suggested a briefing on steps the school has taken in recent years, two of the people said. It is unclear how close both sides are to a potential deal and the exact terms any final agreement would entail. In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said it was 'very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so.' Two people briefed on the discussions said it was highly unlikely a deal would be reached in the next week. Harvard has been widely praised by Democrats, academics, its alumni and democracy advocates for fighting the Trump administration. But top Harvard officials, according to two people briefed on the matter, have become increasingly convinced in recent weeks that the school has little choice but to try to strike a deal with the White House. The Harvard officials believe that if the university remains at odds with the administration that it is likely to become far smaller and less ambitious as Trump tries to keep pummelling it with funding cuts, federal investigations and limits on visas for international students. Now, the school may find itself having to explain a deal with Mr Trump. One person close to Harvard said that while the school was back at the negotiating table, it would not compromise its values or its First Amendment rights in any deal with the administration. Others briefed on the discussions laid out a broad framework for a possible pact. Under one approach being discussed, the administration would restore a major portion of the billions in federal research funding that it stripped from Harvard this spring. It would also cease pursuit of a range of legal actions against Harvard, including its quest to bar international students who make up about a quarter of the university's enrolment , according to one of the people. In exchange, Harvard would agree to take even more aggressive action than it already has to address issues such as anti-Semitism , race and viewpoint diversity. The White House has pushed Harvard to make new commitments to change its admissions and hiring practices, one of the people close to the negotiations said. Whatever the outcome, the White House's direct involvement, one of the people said, signalled the seriousness of the talks. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing negotiations that were supposed to remain private. Harvard's decision to reopen talks with the administration is a sharp departure from how it has handled its battle with Mr Trump since April. That month, the school cut off discussions with the administration after it received a letter – which the administration later claimed was accidentally sent – that made a series of extraordinary demands that the school believed would have compromised its independence. The White House, according to one person briefed on the negotiations, hopes that an agreement with Harvard might serve as a framework for other elite colleges to strike deals with Mr Trump. Other schools have been in discussions with the Trump administration about making deals that would keep their federal funding intact and avoid the president's ire, two of the people said. Word of the negotiations involving Harvard emerged soon after a federal judge in Boston blocked the government's effort to bar international students from the university. In a social media post on June 20 , Mr Trump hyped the prospects of an accord, asserting that 'if a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be 'mindbogglingly' HISTORIC, and very good for our Country'. Although the Trump administration has targeted other elite universities in recent months, its clash with Harvard has been the most bitter. The nation's oldest and wealthiest university, the administration contended, was a mismanaged well of bigotry that did not deserve any of the federal research money that has helped power American academia since around World War II. Although Harvard acknowledged assorted shortcomings, university leaders were stunned April 11 when the Trump administration proposed broad power for the government over the school. Among other conditions, the administration wanted Harvard to establish 'merit based' hiring and admissions policies, and to see the influence of its faculty curbed. It sought a review for 'viewpoint diversity,' the shutdown of any programmes related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and an outside review to examine 'those programmes and departments that most fuel anti-Semitic harassment or reflect ideological capture.' The government also asked for Harvard to adjust its 'recruitment, screening and admissions of international students,' audits of university data and reports 'at least until the end of 2028' about the university's compliance with the Trump administration's conditions. Before the letter, Harvard leaders had been receptive to reaching some kind of truce with the government, which had been sounding warnings about the university's relationship with Washington. But school officials recoiled at the missive, publicly rejected it, lost billions in federal funding and then headed to court. Negotiations collapsed, and the furore between the administration and Harvard only mounted. The government launched a volley of attacks against the university, including repeated efforts to block Harvard from enrolling international students, a threat against its tax-exempt status and a Justice Department investigation that invoked the False Claims Act, a law usually employed to target entities that try to defraud the government. Meanwhile, the government kept cutting off research money and warning Harvard not to bother applying for funds in the future. Harvard officials outwardly projected defiance and depicted their fight against the government as a righteous confrontation over academic independence. But inside the university, top leaders were surveying the landscape and seeing few optimal outcomes. Even if the university prevailed in court, some came to believe, it could still be dogged by fights with an administration not scheduled to leave office until 2029. And the university's $53 billion endowment was loaded with restrictions, leaving Harvard more financially vulnerable than a cursory glance at its books perhaps suggested. Harvard leaders were keenly aware of perceptions of the government's talks with Columbia University, which agreed to a range of Trump administration demands in its continuing quest for the resumption of $400 million in cancelled grants and contracts. Columbia's approach had been derided as capitulation. But some inside Harvard have weighed whether a settlement now – after a furious fight with the government that included some interim legal victories for the university – would leave the school less exposed to criticism than it would have if it had cut a deal months ago. Trump administration officials had been open to talks for weeks, even as the White House taunted and threatened the school with new actions. Until recently, though, Harvard's top board resisted talks. The members directed the school's battalion of lawyers, many of them fixtures of conservative legal circles, not to engage with the government. The calculus has since shifted, in parallel with a handful of courtroom successes for Harvard and Mr Trump's public venting that the university had drawn a favourable judge. Any deal, though, is certain to be closely scrutinised by the university's students, faculty members, donors and alumni. In an interview in May, Dr Lawrence H. Summers, a former Harvard president, was reluctant to assess any potential agreement before its terms were known. He said, though, that 'it would be a tragedy if Harvard resolved this in a way that gave support and encouragement to the idea of extralegal extortion.' Until June 20 , there had been no public signal of active discussions between Harvard and the government. The judge in Boston, Ms Allison D. Burroughs, an appointee of President Barack Obama, has scheduled a hearing for July 21 to hear more extensive arguments in Harvard's case about cuts to its research funding. Mr Trump himself has routinely bashed Harvard in public and in private. As he concluded lunch in the West Wing on April 1, he mused about his government blocking every cent it could from flowing to Harvard. Later on, he would assail Harvard online as 'a JOKE' that 'teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds.' During the spring, he floated a revocation of Harvard's tax-exempt status and an idea to give its research money to trade schools. On June 20 , though, after his government had resumed talks with the university, the president was far more generous in his assessment of Harvard's leaders. 'They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,' he wrote. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
‘Is this the end?': Asian students bound for US anxious about visa freeze
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security told Harvard University that it can no longer enrol international students. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES 'Is this the end?': Asian students bound for US anxious about visa freeze – Mr Devraj was until recently stressed about securing part-funding for a humanities master's programme at Columbia University, New York. But though the Delhi-based 26-year-old has secured a scholarship that will cover 85 per cent of his tuition, he is unsure if he will get to go to the United States at all. Millions of students across the globe are in a similar bind, now that a new US policy has effectively frozen new student visa applications. A US State Department directive on May 27 ordered embassies to suspend scheduling appointments for student and foreign visitor visas as it prepares to expand social media vetting of such applicants to enhance national security. Issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo directed US embassies to remove any unfilled appointments from their calendars for students seeking visas, but said those with appointments already scheduled could go ahead. Mr Rubio said the pause would last 'until further guidance is issued'. The move escalates a series of restrictions on international students, amid the US government's wider pressure campaign against top universities in the US. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security told Harvard University that it can no longer enrol international students. This was purportedly to hold the Ivy League school accountable 'for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus'. A judge blocked the policy. In a twist of the knife for international students, the latest policy change could delay visa processing and disrupt enrolment timelines at American universities. Several student applicants in Asia declined The Straits Times' request for comment, citing a 'fear of any consequence s' impacting their visa eligibility. 'A suspension could mean weeks or months, and things may not be resolved before my classes start in August,' said Mr Devraj, whose name has been changed to protect his identity. He was unsure if he should confirm his enrolment by May 31, by paying the university a non-refundable US$1,000 (S$1,290) which is around 83,000 rupees – not a small amount for the middle-class young Indian. Only then would the university issue him an I-20 certificate, which is a prerequisite for student visa application. India is the largest source of international students in the US, with 331,602 studying there in the academic year 2023-24. China comes a close second, with 277,398. These Asian giants together account for a third of foreign students in the US. They are followed by South Korea with 43,149 students, Canada with 28,998, Taiwan with 23,157, and Vietnam with 22,066. Chinese students ask if it is the end In China, students and officials alike were confused and disappointed. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV inquired with the US Embassy in Beijing on May 2 8 , but a staff member said that they have 'yet to receive relevant information', and visa processing was proceeding as usual. Others reported on Chinese social media that slots for student visa interviewees were not available for June and July, although it is unclear whether this was due to the latest development. A higher education career counsellor in an international school in Beijing, who declined to be named, told ST: 'Since early this morning, students have barged into my office and exclaimed: 'Teacher, is this the end for us? What does this policy mean?'' She has students who paid deposits of a few hundred US dollars in May to secure their places in American universities, before they can apply for visas. If they do not get their visa s, they would have to squabble with the universities on whether the deposits can be refunded, she said. While most Chinese students still prefer to pursue their higher education in the US, some of them have already chosen to go to Canada or the United Kingdom instead, she said. 'Those who have shortlisted only American universities can only wait for further information,' she added. China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on May 28: 'China has always believed that normal educational cooperation and academic exchanges should not be disrupted. 'We urge the US side to earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of students from all countries, including Chinese students.' Social media vetting The introduction of stringent social media checks have raised concerns among prospective students and their families. Mr Rubio had foreshadowed social media restrictions in March after the police arrested Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk over an op-ed she wrote on Gazans. She was later freed on bail as she fights possible deportation. At the time Mr Rubio had said: 'If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalising universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus – we're not going to give you a visa.' Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk is fighting possible deportation. PHOTO: AFP A leaked US State Department diplomatic cable dated March 25 describes a new standard for visa denials based on a broad definition of what constitutes support for 'terrorist activity'. It mandated comprehensive reviews of the social media profiles of all applicants seeking F (academic students), M (vocational students), and J (exchange visitors) visas. Officers must take screenshots of any 'potentially derogatory' content found during these reviews, even if such content is later deleted or altered. These records will be stored in the applicant's case file and may serve as grounds for visa denial. Many like Mr Devraj are hurrying to make their social media accounts private. 'I have no other option. The US government could apply its whims and fancies under vague and broad parameters to deem any of my posts a threat to national security,' said Mr Devraj, adding that he might look to Europe if 'things remain this bad in the US'. China-based consultancies who provide overseas educational application services have also advised Chinese students to remove 'sensitive content' on their social media, including phrases such as 'Gulf of Mexico', 'LGBTQ', 'gender diversity' and 'anti-Semitism'. A prospective Taiwanese student to the US, who declined to be named, told ST that she has yet to secure a visa appointment slot and is now 'very worried' that her application would be affected. The 28-year-old had been looking forward to starting a master's programme in law this August in Texas, where her boyfriend is already studying engineering. However, she is not concerned about the vetting of her social media accounts as she said she is rarely active online. 'If I post anything, which is rare, they're just pictures of food – nothing politically sensitive,' she said. Applicants uncertain, officials try to help On a Korean internet community group of more than 40,000 called Jaws Mom, set up to dispense free advice for parents looking to send their children to the US, the group administrator Kim Seong-jun called the suspension of visa interviews 'shocking news'. He advised the group members to stay calm and wait to see what happens, as the start of the US schools' fall semester is still more than two months away. He also urged members to refrain from criticising the US government on its policies on social media platforms, and to delete such comments if already made. A parent member, in response to Mr Kim's post, shared that her child was supposed to start school in autumn , and had already received the I-20 certificat e . She had not seen the urgency in scheduling a visa appointment with the embassy, and now regrets her decision. 'I have no choice but to wait and see how things progress, but I'm anxious,' she wrote. The South Korean Embassy in the US created an emergency contact network for international students and held several meetings to share the current situation. Earlier, on May 22, the embassy posted a notice regarding the strengthening of US immigration policies and entry screening. In particular, it warned international students residing on student visas that 'if caught engaging in illegal employment or labour activities, it can be considered a serious violation of immigration law'. The Indonesian embassy on May 27 conveyed to the US its 'deep concern over the negative effect' the policy has on Indonesian and other foreign students. The US Embassy in Jakarta reported 8,348 Indonesian students in the US for 2023-2024. Mr Rolliansyah Soemirat, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on the sidelines of the Asean Summit on May 27 that 'Indonesian missions in the US are prepared to provide consular assistance to affected Indonesian students'. Dr Sidrotun Naim, a member of the Jakarta-based alumni association Harvard Club of Indonesia, told ST: 'Indonesian students in Harvard face two options in dealing with this situation: They can transfer to another campus in order to retain their legal status in the US, or return to Indonesia. But the situation remains fluid.' Asian universities open doors Since the ban on Harvard enrolment of new international students, some territories are moving swiftly to attract the run-off of top students from the US. The Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) called on all universities in Hong Kong 'to introduce facilitation measures for those eligible with a view to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of students and scholars' , and to attract top talent in accordance with each institution's diverse admissions and recruitment policies. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has invited affected students from any foreign university to make use of its 'robust transfer policies and admission protocols' , streamlined credit transfers and seamless transitions into its programmes, including accommodation arrangements and scholarships. 'On the day the foreign student ban was announced, we were approached by graduating students, alumni, and prospective students currently bound for Harvard – many from Hong Kong and mainland China – who are grappling with profound anxiety about the disruption of their academic journeys,' a HKUST spokesman told ST. Japan has also indicated its willingness to support visa applications for those who may find themselves stranded by US policy directives. Tokyo on May 27 called on its domestic institutions of higher learning to open their doors to students who plan to or have enrolled in US. The top three public universities – University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Osaka University – have said they are considering the acceptance of students and young researchers of US universities who may be displaced. The only hitch: the Japanese academic year began in April, making it out of step with the US. University of Tokyo president Teruo Fujii told the Nikkei newspaper that the stagnation of higher learning in the US marked a 'crisis for the global academic community'. He added: 'We will work towards expanding, within the year, our acceptance of international students who have difficulty studying or researching overseas due to political interference.' Wait and watch Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined comment at a regular news briefing on May 28, saying Tokyo would respond after it gains a 'full understanding' of the matter, including how long appointments for student visa screenings would be paused. Japan is not a top source of foreign students to the US. The weak yen and sluggish economy make costs prohibitive. Still, 13,959 Japanese students and researchers enrolled in US universities for the 2023-24 academic year, including 260 at Harvard. Mr Yusuke Matsuda, the Japan representative of prep school Crimson Education and an adviser to the Education Ministry, urged students who have secured appointments with the US Embassy not to cancel or reschedule their interviews, and to carefully review their public profiles. 'If your interview isn't scheduled, this suspension may cause anxiety, but it is recommended that you wait a few days to a week and see how things go,' he wrote on the online portal Newspicks. Mr Matsuda said it was likely for US universities to eventually band together and seek a class action lawsuit to halt policies that would hurt their enrolment of foreign students , citing precedent in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic . Mr Trump, in his first term in office, sought to implement a policy that would have forced international students to leave the US if their classes were held entirely online. The authorities rescinded the policy after Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the Trump administration. Mr Andrew Siow, 19, a student enrolled in an American Degree Transfer Programme in Sunway University in Malaysia, had planned to finish his third and fourth year in science engineering at Western Michigan University in the US. 'If this continues, I guess I will have to finish my studies in Malaysia. I really wanted to go there and see the US, maybe visit parts of the country during my semester break. I've always wanted to visit California. I just hope the American government will stop this soon,' said Mr Siow. Some have given up on the US. Indonesian Niwa R Dwitama, 33, told ST that he is considering pursuing his doctoral studies in Britain. Mr Niwa , who holds a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia Universit y , was accepted into Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, for his doctoral studies in March. 'With the current US immigration policy and economic uncertainties, being a foreign student in the US poses greater risks and hardships. After all, I will be bringing my family with me during my studies,' he said. In Malaysia, the new directive was the final nail in the coffin for Mrs Liyana Ariff, whose 19-year-old daughter is planning to study data analytics in the US. The 48-year-old engineer told ST that she may send her daughter, a computer science student, to study elsewhere, though 'I know my daughter will be disappointed'. Mrs Liyana had already been 'quite concerned and wary of how the US has been deporting people out of the country'. 'I've read about that lady from Wales who was detained for three weeks even though she was flying out to Canada from Seattle. And she's white. They're also arresting their own citizens. If that can happen to these people, they could do a lot worse to my daughter.' Additional reporting by Stania Puspawardhani, Jakarta Correspondent; Walter Sim, Japan Correspondent; Wendy Teo, South Korea Correspondent; Magdalene Fung, Hong Kong Correspondent; Yip Wai Yee, Taiwan Correspondent and Azril Annuar, Malaysia Correspondent. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Harvard sues US over Trump's international student ban
At Harvard, more than a quarter of its total student body, or 6,800 students, come from other countries. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES Harvard University sued the Trump administration over its move to block the school from enrolling international students, ratcheting up a high-stakes legal fight with broad implications for higher education in the US. In the lawsuit, which was filed in Massachusetts federal court on May 23, the university said the move violates its First Amendment and due process rights, among others. 'We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action,' Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement. 'It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams.' The White House, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration on May 22 blocked Harvard from enrolling international students, delivering a major blow to the school and escalating its fight with elite colleges to unprecedented levels. The US revoked Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor program certification, meaning foreign students can no longer attend the university. Existing international students must transfer or lose their legal status, the Department of Homeland Security said on May 22. The school earlier sued several US agencies for blocking federal funds after the government demanded it remake its governance, transform admissions and faculty hiring, stop admitting international students it says are hostile to US values and enforce viewpoint diversity. The government's action has thrust thousands of international students into limbo. Both the suddenness and timing of the move – after acceptance letters for the fall term have been sent out and left current and future attendees struggling to figure out what to do next. The blockade on international student enrollment will compound the financial pressures for Harvard. The Trump administration has frozen more than US$2.6 billion of Harvard's funding and cut off future grants in an increasingly contentious standoff over the school's handling of alleged antisemitism on campus and government demands for more oversight. 'With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,' Harvard wrote in its complaint. Harvard said in the suit that it has been certified by the federal government to enroll international students for more than 70 years. Over that time, it said, it has 'developed programs and degrees tailored to its international students, invested millions to recruit the most talented such students and integrated its international students into all aspects of the Harvard community. Yesterday, the government abruptly revoked that certification without process or cause, to immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.' At Harvard almost 6,800 students - 27 per cent of the entire student body – come from other countries, up from 19.6 per cent in 2006, according to the university's data. Effective immediately, most of Harvard's thousands of enrolled F-1 and J-1 visa students will have little choice but to secure transfer to another school or be rendered without lawful status in the US. Harvard can no longer sponsor those visa holders for its upcoming summer and fall terms, despite having admitted thousands, and countless academic programs, research laboratories, clinics, and courses supported by Harvard's international students have been thrown into disarray. The case is President and Fellows of Harvard College v. Department of Homeland Security, 25-cv-11472, US District Court, District of Massachusetts (Boston). BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
How can the US Government stop Harvard from enrolling international students?
At Harvard, more than a quarter of its total student body, or 6,800 students, come from other countries. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES How can the US Government stop Harvard from enrolling international students? WASHINGTON - The Trump administration wants to halt Harvard University from enrolling international students. But how can the federal government dictate which students a private university can and cannot enroll? The US government has enormous power over who comes into the US, and who doesn't. For college and universities, the Department of Homeland Security has a vast system just to manage and track the enrollment of the hundreds of thousands of international students studying across the country at any given time. But a school needs government certification to use this database, known as Sevis, for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. And this vulnerability is what the Trump administration is exploiting against Harvard. Homeland Security says that effective immediately, it has revoked a certification that allows Harvard to have access to Sevis. Oddly enough, the students may still have valid visas. But Harvard is no longer able to log them into this all-important database. The announcement was a significant escalation in the administration's efforts to pressure Harvard to fall in line with the president's agenda. Here's what we know so far. How does Harvard use the Sevis database? For each international student, Harvard inputs data into Sevis to show that a student is enrolled full time, and thus meeting the terms of the visa that the student was issued. The system is overseen by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an arm of Homeland Security, which announced the termination May 22. At Harvard, more than a quarter of its total student body, or 6,800 students, come from other countries. How are international students at Harvard affected? The Sevis termination for Harvard would mean that all foreign students at the school would be in limbo. The students would, en masse, become deportable immediately, unless they transferred to another school, or unless a court intervened to block the termination by Homeland Security. Students who took no action to enroll elsewhere would be violating the terms of their status and subject to removal. After graduating, international students have 60 days from the end of their program to leave the United States or adjust their immigration status, by obtaining a job, for example. Students who are returning to university programmes typically can remain in the country during summer breaks because they are still enrolled for the coming term. But if Sevis is terminated for Harvard, it is unclear if students who would otherwise be returning would still be granted the summer grace period. The current spring term at Harvard ends May 26, according to the university's calendar. But don't international students have visas? It does not appear that Homeland Security revoked the student visas of Harvard's international students. That means, in theory, they could leave or stay for the summer. They could go back to their home countries, potentially, and return to attend another school. Much of this is still unclear. What might Harvard do next? Harvard could go to court to try to challenge its Sevis termination. Mr Carl Tobias, an expert on the federal courts at University of Richmond School of Law, said that Harvard would very likely sue in federal court in Massachusetts asserting that the actions of the Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, violated the law by effectively dismantling the university's international program and preventing it from recruiting students from around the globe. 'Harvard will argue that the actions of the secretary are arbitrary and capricious,' Mr Tobias said. 'A court is likely to find that she lacks the power to eliminate its program for international students.' Ms Stacy Tolchin, an immigration lawyer who represents international students, said that the university would have a 'clear case challenge for retaliation from DHS based on First Amendment-protected activities.' NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
