Columbia faculty enraged by settlement with Trump administration
Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million to the Trump administration to restore frozen federal funding after a civil rights investigation into alleged campus antisemitism.
Faculty have condemned the settlement, citing fear and a chilling effect on academic freedom.
Columbia University is facing growing backlash from faculty and alumni after agreeing to a $200 million settlement with the Trump administration, a move critics say weakens academic standards and gives into political pressure.
The deal follows a months-long standoff that began when the federal government froze around $400 million in research funding.
Officials cited potential civil rights violations, including antisemitism tied to recent campus protests. In exchange for restoring federal support, including major grants from NIH and other agencies, Columbia agreed to pay $200 million to the U.S. Treasury over three years and an additional $21 million to Jewish staff who said they faced discrimination.
While the settlement does not impose any admission of guilt, Columbia leadership conceded the need for reform in a letter to faculty and students. Interim President Claire Shipman defended the agreement, saying it was necessary to protect the university’s core functions and emphasized that “the federal government will not dictate what we teach, who teaches, or which students we admit.”
[RELATED: Columbia professor blasts university for ‘weaponizing’ anti-Semitism fund]
As part of the agreement, Columbia will enhance oversight of departments flagged in federal complaints, including implementing external reviews and refining protest policies to maintain campus order.
The university will not allow “diversity narratives” as “justification for discriminatory practices.” The university also pledges to discipline disruptive protestors.
The agreement introduces an internal review of Middle Eastern studies programs to ensure “offerings are comprehensive and balanced,” providing recommendations that will “ensure academic excellence.”
Some faculty remain critical of the deal. “There’s a lot of fear,” one faculty member told The Columbia Daily Spectator, describing the atmosphere among colleagues.
“There’s a tremendous amount of disappointment and anger,” wrote Anya Schiffrin, senior lecturer at the School of International and Public Affairs. “We’re terrified that this is just the beginning of further demands.”
Among the most vocal critics is historian Rashid Khalidi, who canceled his fall class in protest. He called the deal “a capitulation,” complaining that it redefines legitimate political criticism as antisemitism and threatens the core of academic freedom. He criticized the “crack down” on “alleged discrimination” and deemed outside review as “abhorrent.”
Legal scholars have taken notice too. Columbia law professor David Pozen described the agreement as an example of “regulation by deal,” where federal agencies bypass normal enforcement processes and pressure institutions into compliance without court rulings or clear precedent.
