Education Department announces probe into UC Berkeley for undisclosed foreign funding
The U.S. Department of Education has announced an investigation into the University of California, Berkeley for failing to report its financial ties to foreign sources.
The department announced an investigation into the school on April 25.
The U.S. Department of Education has announced an investigation into the University of California, Berkeley for failing to report its financial ties to foreign sources.
The department announced an investigation into the school on April 25.
“The Biden-Harris Administration turned a blind eye to colleges and universities’ legal obligations by deprioritizing oversight and allowing foreign gifts to pour onto American campuses. Despite widespread compliance failures, no new Section 117 investigations were initiated for four years, and ongoing investigations were closed prematurely,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a press release.
“I have great confidence in my Office of General Counsel to investigate these matters fully, and they will begin by thoroughly examining UC Berkeley’s apparent failure to fully and accurately disclose significant funding received from foreign sources,” she continued.
In a statement provided to Campus Reform, a university official noted, “UC Berkeley is reviewing the Department of Education inquiry and will cooperate with its federal partners as has long been its practice.”
In 2023, it was reported that UC Berkeley had failed to disclose a joint project with a Chinese state-controlled university; the joint project is known as the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute.
“We are deeply concerned that TBSI is being used by the Chinese Communist Party as a conduit for intellectual theft, espionage, and coercion,” Rep. Fox, then chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, told Campus Reform at the time.
The university ended the relationship in February following an Open The Books report that detailed that UC Berkeley and other American schools had failed to disclose foreign funding.
[RELATED: Harvard accepted over $1.4B from foreign sources, Campus Reform audit finds]
Last month, the Education Department opened a similar investigation into Harvard University. Campus Reform recently noted how the Ivy League school has received over $1 billion during the last 10 years from foreign sources.
Campus Reform has contacted UC Berkeley and the Department of Education for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
