Latest news with #Schill
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Northwestern University cuts over 400 jobs as campus turmoil and federal scrutiny deepen financial strain
Northwestern University Northwestern University, one of the nation's most respected research institutions, has entered a period of deep institutional reckoning. On Tuesday, university leadership announced the elimination of 425 staff positions, roughly 5 percent of its workforce budget, in what they described as a necessary step toward ensuring long-term financial sustainability. This move arrives after months of public criticism, political scrutiny, and internal efforts to stabilize operations. Nearly half of the eliminated positions were already vacant; the scope of the cuts signals the gravity of the situation facing the Evanston-based university. Behind the numbers: A strained financial structure The cuts come after a series of belt-tightening measures failed to close a growing budget gap. Northwestern had previously imposed a hiring freeze, withheld annual salary increases, and revised employee benefits in an attempt to curb costs. Personnel expenses currently account for 56 percent of the university's total expenditures, making workforce reductions the most immediate and impactful option on the table. However, university officials emphasized that the issue is not confined to internal mismanagement. The broader financial picture includes rapidly rising healthcare expenses, higher litigation costs, contractual labour obligations, and projected changes in federal funding policies. Politics on campus: A catalyst for institutional strain The crisis cannot be separated from the political turbulence that has enveloped the university in recent months. In April, student demonstrators established protest encampments on campus, calling for divestment from Israel. While a deal was eventually brokered to dismantle the encampments, President Schill refused to commit to divestment, drawing criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. This episode contributed to heightened federal attention. The university has since been accused of failing to adequately respond to incidents of alleged antisemitic harassment and discrimination. Investigations launched by the Trump administration further intensified pressure on the institution, ultimately resulting in the freezing of nearly $800 million in federal research funds. The funding freeze: Symptom or cause? Although the loss of access to federal research funding has significantly strained the university's budget, Northwestern's leadership insists the job cuts were not a direct consequence of the freeze. Instead, they framed the decision as part of a broader recalibration in response to mounting fiscal and political stressors. Officials pointed to looming threats from Washington, including potential reductions in federal reimbursements for research infrastructure and proposed constraints on international student enrollment, both of which could significantly impact Northwestern's bottom line. Implications for the higher education sector Northwestern's decision to implement large-scale staff cuts underscores a new reality facing even the most well-resourced institutions. With a multibillion-dollar endowment and a reputation for academic excellence, the university was long viewed as insulated from the kinds of budget crises that plague smaller colleges. That perception is now being challenged. Across the country, universities are confronting political polarization, legal battles, and shifting government priorities. As federal oversight tightens and public scrutiny intensifies, many institutions may find themselves having to make similarly difficult choices, regardless of their financial reserves or academic rankings. What lies ahead for Northwestern In the coming months, Northwestern will face the dual task of rebuilding internal trust and navigating external pressures. For hundreds of employees, the job cuts represent not just a financial decision but a personal and professional upheaval. For students and faculty, they raise difficult questions about the university's priorities and its ability to protect its academic mission under strain. What remains clear is that the convergence of protest politics, financial instability, and federal intervention is reshaping the governance of higher education. Northwestern's current chapter may serve as a warning, or perhaps a blueprint, for what lies ahead at other American universities caught in the crosscurrents of ideological conflict and economic uncertainty. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Chicago Tribune
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Northwestern University president to appear again before Congress in August
Northwestern University President Michael Schill is slated to appear for a second time before a congressional committee over alleged antisemitism on campus. Schill will participate in an interview with the House Committee on Education & Workforce on Aug. 5, according to a Northwestern spokesperson. Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, R-Mich., first sent a letter to Schill to testify in April, accusing Northwestern of failing to fulfill its commitment to protect Jewish students. Crain's Chicago Business first reported the news. The Committee on Education & Workforce did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Schill last appeared before Congress in spring 2024, weeks after students erected a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus as part of a nationwide movement. Schill reached a deal with protesters five days into the demonstration, allowing the encampment to continue peacefully for several weeks. Since Schill's last testimony, Walberg said, congressional leaders have not received any documentation or updates on the university's efforts to combat antisemitism. 'The Committee seeks to understand both this disturbing climate of antisemitism at Northwestern as well as the University's apparent failure to protect Jewish students, and therefore seeks to conduct a transcribed interview with you,' Walberg wrote. A university spokesperson disputed those claims in a statement, noting that Northwestern took 'significant steps to address antisemitism' before the 2024-25 school year. The university released a report in March that outlined those efforts, including updating the student code of conduct and creating mandatory antisemitism training. 'Reports of antisemitism on campus this academic year were down significantly, and we are confident that our actions have made Northwestern a safer and more welcoming place for everyone, including our Jewish students,' the statement said. Northwestern is among several elite universities that have come under fire from the Trump administration for antisemitism and diversity, equity and inclusion policies. The federal government has frozen more than $790 million in federal funding to Northwestern amid ongoing civil rights investigations. When Schill appeared before the House committee last year, he was grilled for hours on his handling of Northwestern's encampment. Several leaders of Ivy League schools resigned following testimony at a similar congressional hearing in late 2023.
Chicago Tribune
24-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Luis A. Nunes Amaral: Northwestern needs better leadership to fight back against Donald Trump
On June 10, the Northwestern University community received an alarming email from university President Michael Schill and his team. The email stated that 'rising costs related to compliance requirements, health care expenses, litigation, labor contracts, employee benefits, and other forces have put an increasing strain on Northwestern's finances.' It is difficult to put into words how infuriating this statement is. Let's try, though, and start with what is missing. President Donald Trump's administration is planning to cut federal funding for research and has already canceled or paused hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to Northwestern faculty. Exclusion of visitors from selected countries and other Trump administration immigration policies may cost the university around $100 million. Let us now consider the things that were explicitly mentioned. The labor contracts presumably refer to the recent graduate workers' contract. Graduate workers received a salary raise of approximately 25%. Federal grants would have helped absorb the bulk of those costs — meaning that the financial concerns arise not from the raise but from the actions of the Trump administration. We know that health care expenses have been increasing at an unsustainable rate for years. On June 12, university employees learned that our new health insurance provider will be UnitedHealthcare. Yes, that UHC, which asset manager Blackrock is suing because the insurer was approving too many claims in response to fallout over the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare's CEO. A thoughtfully led organization would have been lobbying for 'Medicare for All,' a program that could address health care costs and improve outcomes and one that has wide support among the population. I am sure as the summer quarter starts, that other announcements from Northwestern will come about other benefits. If you live in Chicago, you have probably heard about Northwestern's litigation concerns. If you compare matters at the University of Chicago, another private school, and Northwestern, some are very similar. But litigation costs is not one of them. This is because of the role of athletics at Northwestern. You might have heard about the claim by Northwestern's former football coach that he was unjustly fired. Or about the costs of the recent NCAA settlement to universities, such as Northwestern, with expensive football and basketball programs. Or the billions spent over the last decade on Northwestern's new and renovated athletic facilities. Athletics are not mentioned in the communication from Schill because they are the pet interest of the most powerful members of the board of trustees. Schill's actions remind me of another Mike. In Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle,' Mike Scully appears to be all powerful, but he is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the real power. Northwestern's board of trustees is our version of the Beef Trust found in 'The Jungle.' The trustees are the ones making all the decisions — who is going to make the sacrifices, whose voices are going to be heard and whose voices are going to be ignored. The trustees did not buy the university, they did not build it and they are not the ones making it great. The trustees are supposed to provide guidance and oversight but not to manage — and definitely not to micromanage. A more appropriate model for a university is a partnership. That is the governance model of consulting and law firms, even very large ones. In such a partnership at a university, faculty members operate quite independently while coordinating their actions and decisions. In contrast, Northwestern faculty, staff and students are all but shut out. It does not need to be like this. Princeton University is going through the same challenges as Northwestern. At Princeton, the board of trustees advises but does not direct, a professor told me. Moreover, at Princeton, the president and deans have been holding monthly meetings open to all. Princeton has also held facultywide elections to select faculty tasked with discussing the plans for how to handle the current crisis. At Northwestern, we receive instead the occasional email claiming a commitment 'to being transparent and honest' but with the advice that 'the best way to engage is by connecting through your unit leadership directly.' Northwestern's leadership chooses not to afford the members of its community a shred of respect. On April 21, 456 faculty members attended and voted on a resolution during a faculty assembly, the highest deliberative organ of the faculty. Schill, who was supposed to chair the assembly, was absent. In a recent interview for The Daily Northwestern, he dismissed the outcome of the meeting, the first ever to reach a quorum that is artificially inflated, stating that the assembly represented the opinion of fewer than 10% of the faculty. Difficult times are ahead for higher education. In fact, difficult times are ahead for our entire society. Sacrifices will have to be made. World War II in the U.S. showed that people can make great sacrifices willingly and happily if they feel the pain is being shared equally. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was able to build unity and a sense of purpose by letting previously silenced groups to the table. It would be an understatement to say that Schill is no FDR. He should be able to do better, though. If he cannot, then he should resign.
CBS News
15-04-2025
- CBS News
Antisemitic graffiti found on several buildings at Northwestern University
An investigation has been launched at Northwestern University, after someone vandalized several buildings on campus with antisemitic graffiti. In a letter to university community members, Northwestern President Michael Schill wrote that a group of people vandalized several buildings on the university's Evanston campus — spray-painting "antisemitic slogans and hate-filled language." "The fact that these acts occurred during the commencement of the Passover holiday makes these disgusting statements all the more despicable," Schill wrote. Northwestern said it is using surveillance video and forensics to identify the suspects. "If these individuals are current Northwestern students, they will be immediately suspended and face full disciplinary proceedings under University policies, as well as criminal charges under the law," Schill wrote. Schill also noted that he held a Passover Seder in his home hours before the vandalism happened. At the Seder, he and others discussed the challenges that Northwestern faces as a university and that society at large also faces. He wrote that there is optimism for days ahead, "despite the actions of a few who work to erode that hope." Schill also noted that Northwestern published its Progress Report on University Efforts to Combat Antisemitism just last month. Schill asked members of the Northwestern community to come forward with any information that might help them solve the case by calling Northwestern University police at 847-491-3456, or filing a report online with the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. Schill noted that both of these actions can be taken anonymously.
Chicago Tribune
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Yinam Cohen: Northwestern's approach to fighting antisemitism creates an artificial balance
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced an investigation of five universities that have failed to protect their Jewish students. I am pleased to see the U.S. administration's determination to combat antisemitism in all walks of life, including on university campuses. However, I was saddened to see Northwestern University among these five institutions under investigation. Saddened, but not surprised. Last year, Northwestern stood out as one of the few universities in the country where an agreement was reached with the anti-Israel, and in many cases, antisemitic encampments on campus. I harshly criticized this agreement, driven personally by Northwestern President Michael Schill, as did leading Jewish and civic organizations. This agreement also led to the resignation of the very committee that Schill had previously established to address antisemitism at NU. Over the past months, I have been in contact with Northwestern's leadership to discuss how the university can enhance its efforts to address harassment, intimidation, exclusion and discrimination against Jewish, Israeli and pro-Israeli students. These individuals suffered bias and hostility, not just from their peers, but also from faculty members. This past December, I was encouraged to learn that Northwestern added new components to its anti-bias training to address rising antisemitism. However, I was also somewhat surprised by the way the university framed it. The email sent by Northwestern stated that the new components would address 'antisemitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian biases.' I am fully committed to fighting all forms of bias, including anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiments and their derivatives. However, facts matter. According to FBI data and city of Chicago reports from the past two years, Jews have been one of the most targeted groups for hate crimes in the country. In Chicago, Jews were the most targeted group for hate crimes. While it is clearly essential to address all forms of bias, Northwestern's approach creates an artificial balance between combating Jew hatred and addressing 'anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian biases.' This misguided move appears to be driven, once again, by a desire to appease the anti-Israel sentiment among some members of the campus community. Combating antisemitism should not come at the cost of distorting reality or creating false equivalences. You cannot fight bias by creating further biases. This approach is not data-driven or fact-based — it undermines the integrity of the fight against all forms of discrimination. Northwestern is one of the world's leading research institutions and a source of pride for the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. I deeply appreciate the partnerships it has established with Israel's top academic and research institutions — collaborations that drive innovation, advance groundbreaking research and create real-world solutions to global challenges. These partnerships benefit not only Americans and Israelis but also contribute to scientific and technological advancements that improve lives worldwide. Strengthening these ties will further enhance opportunities for cutting-edge discoveries, knowledge exchange and a shared commitment to academic excellence. However, there is still much more to be done in uprooting the inherent anti-Israeli — and in some cases, anti-Jewish — biases across the campus, particularly among some of its faculty members and students. Northwestern must take meaningful action to ensure the safety and well-being of all its students, regardless of their backgrounds. The fight against bias and discrimination must be rooted in genuine commitment, not empty statements. It is time for the university to lead by example, setting a standard for others to follow in creating a truly inclusive and respectful environment for all. Northwestern should be making headlines for its groundbreaking academic accomplishments — not for its failure to confront Jew hatred head-on. It must show the same boldness in tackling antisemitism that it shows in pursuing academic excellence. Hesitation and half-measures will only embolden those who seek to marginalize Jews on campus.
