Is Trump threat to Columbia a warning for other universities to get their act together?

Columbia University has taken a hit after US President Donald Trump withdrew federal funding worth $400 million alleging the institution’s failure in curbing the rise of antisemitism on campus and protecting Jewish students from harassment.

In response to this, the Ivy League college has decided to take steps to put its Middle East studies department under new supervision and overhaul its rules for protests and student discipline. While the Trump administration has welcomed Columbia’s step, the faculty has slammed Interim President Katrina Armstrong for giving in to federal pressures.

Earlier this month, the US government set a precondition as it pulled back research grants. To have the funding back on, federal officials last week demanded the university immediately enact nine separate reforms to its academic and security policies.

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In her response, Armstrong indicated Columbia would implement nearly all of them. As ordered, it will hire new public safety personnel and empower them to make arrests on campus, bar students from protesting in academic buildings and revamp its long-standing process for student discipline.

‘Closed-door meeting’

A report by the Wall Street Journal said Armstrong faced backlash from faculty members over the administration’s handling of federal pressure regarding antisemitism allegations.

Some faculty criticised Armstrong for not taking a stronger stand against the Trump administration’s threats to cut research funding. Others expressed concerns that the university’s compliance with federal investigations could set a dangerous precedent for political interference in academic institutions.

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One professor described the situation as not just a crisis for Columbia but “the biggest crisis since the founding of the republic,” according to a transcript. He expressed confusion over why Armstrong and other university leaders had not come together to release a unified statement.

A cascading effect?

Amid all of this, Harvard University has announced a hiring freeze citing “substantial financial uncertainties driven by rapidly shifting federal policies,” days after Trump threatened to cut funding to institutions that allow “illegal” protests on campus.

Harvard President Alan Garber said, “We need to prepare for a wide range of financial circumstances, and strategic adjustments will take time to identify and implement.”

“It is meant to preserve our financial flexibility until we better understand how changes in federal policy will take shape and can assess the scale of their impact,” it added.

With inputs from agencies