Education Department demands Harvard University release more records on its foreign funding
The U.S. Department of Education, under Secretary Linda McMahon, has heightened its scrutiny of Harvard University, demanding more records on its foreign funding and ties.
On April 17, the department issued a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, saying the school made 'incomplete and inaccurate' disclosures of foreign donations between 2014 and 2019.
The U.S. Department of Education, under Secretary Linda McMahon, has heightened its scrutiny of Harvard University, demanding more records on its foreign funding and ties.
On April 17, the department issued a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, stating stating the the institution had made “incomplete and inaccurate” disclosures of foreign donations between 2014 and 2019.
In a press release published the next day, McMahon discussed Harvard’s lack of transparency.
“As a recipient of federal funding, Harvard University must be transparent about its relations with foreign sources and governments,” McMahon said. “Unfortunately, our review indicated that Harvard has not been fully transparent or complete in its disclosures, which is both unacceptable and unlawful.”
Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 mandates that all U.S. institutions annually report foreign gifts exceeding $250,000, a requirement the the department claims Harvard has failed to fulfill.
The letter demands comprehensive records from the school, including lists of foreign gifts, grants, contracts, communications with foreign governments, and details on expelled foreign students or faculty with foreign affiliations.
The Department is also seeking names and backgrounds of Harvard affiliates tied to foreign governments, following reports that Harvard received $150 million from foreign sources between January 2020 and October 2024.
This demand follows a December compliance agreement between Harvard and the department, which required the university to improve its reporting practices, as noted by The Harvard Crimson.
[RELATED: New bill targets private universities’ financial ties to China and Iran]
Recently, Harvard has cut ties with controversial foreign affiliations.
In March, the Harvard School of Public Health ended its partnership with Birzeit University, a school in the West Bank that has been accused of having connections to Hamas.
Campus Reform has contacted the DOE and Harvard University. This article will be updated accordingly.
