Boston: The US federal government has announced the freezing of more than USD 2.2 billion (approximately Rs 18,000 crore) in grants and contracts to Harvard University. This decision follows the university’s declaration on Monday that it will not comply with the Trump administration’s directives to curtail campus activism and enact governance reforms.

In a letter sent to Harvard on Friday, the administration insisted on sweeping institutional changes, including the implementation of so-called “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies, and an audit of faculty, leadership and the student body regarding their views on diversity. It also sought a ban on face coverings, seemingly directed at pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Additional demands included halting the recognition or funding of any student group that “endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment.”

Harvard president decries overreach of federal authority
In a response to the university community, Harvard President Alan Garber rejected the demands, stating they violated constitutional rights and exceeded government authority under Title VI, which bars discrimination based on race, colour, or national origin.

“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote. He also affirmed that the university had undertaken meaningful steps to combat antisemitism.

“These ends will not be achieved by assertions of power, unmoored from the law, to control teaching and learning at Harvard and to dictate how we operate,” he added.

Part of a wider political campaign targeting elite universities
The move against Harvard is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to leverage federal funding to push political agendas within higher education institutions. The administration has accused several universities of tolerating antisemitism, particularly during protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza last year — claims the universities strongly deny.

Harvard joins a growing list of Ivy League institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Brown and Princeton, facing similar funding pauses. A comparable letter from the administration previously triggered policy changes at Columbia University amid threats of massive funding cuts.

Pushback from alumni, faculty and civil society
The federal move prompted significant backlash. A group of Harvard alumni urged the institution to “legally contest and refuse to comply with unlawful demands that threaten academic freedom and university self-governance.”

“Harvard stood up today for the integrity, values, and freedoms that serve as the foundation of higher education,” said Anurima Bhargava, one of the alumni involved in the letter. “Harvard reminded the world that learning, innovation and transformative growth will not yield to bullying and authoritarian whims.”

Over the weekend, members of the Harvard community, Cambridge residents, and university staff staged protests. On Friday, the American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit against the funding cuts.

The lawsuit contends that the administration failed to follow proper procedures under Title VI, including notifying both Harvard and Congress before initiating the funding freeze.

“These sweeping yet indeterminate demands are not remedies targeting the causes of any determination of noncompliance with federal law. Instead, they overtly seek to impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the University to punishing disfavoured speech,” the plaintiffs argued.

With AP inputs