Harvard University President Alan Garber attempted to reassure the Trump administration that he is pursuing “needed reforms” to how the school addresses antisemitism as it seeks to recoup billions of dollars in federal funding.
Last week, Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote a letter to Garber notifying him that Harvard would no longer be eligible for new research grants from the government until it can “demonstrate responsible management.” Her announcement came after the Trump administration pulled over $2 billion in grants last month. The letter represented the government’s latest attempt to pressure Harvard into doing more to combat antisemitism, which a recent analysis conducted by the university found was prevalent on campus.
Garber responded to McMahon’s move with a letter released Monday, in which he defended Harvard’s lawsuit against the government’s “overreach into the constitutional freedoms of private universities.” However, while he said Harvard “will not surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear of unfounded retaliation by the federal government,” he tried to convince the Trump administration that Harvard is expanding measures to combat antisemitism in a push to restore federal academic funding.
“Research universities, including Harvard, have had a long and productive relationship with the federal government. That relationship has driven economic growth, innovation, and life-saving discoveries to the benefit of our nation and all humanity,“ he said.
“We hope that the partnership between higher education and the federal government will be vibrant and successful for generations to come,” Garber continued. “As my colleagues and I have said, we welcome the opportunity to share further information with you about the important work we are undertaking to combat prejudice and to pursue our mission of excellence in teaching, learning, and research.”
Garber’s letter came amid Harvard’s lawsuit against the Trump administration and President Donald Trump’s recent promise to revoke its tax-exempt status.
Garber also rejected accusations that Harvard has problems with political bias.
“I must refute your claim that Harvard is a partisan institution. It is neither Republican nor Democratic,” he said. “Harvard is a place to bring people of all backgrounds together to learn in an inclusive environment where ideas flourish regardless of whether they are deemed ‘conservative,’ ‘liberal,’ or something else.”
Still, he conceded the university is investigating more ways to embrace a variety of viewpoints.
Garber cited “the need for greater intellectual diversity on campus,” explaining that he launched initiatives to make Harvard “a more pluralistic and welcoming place.”
“Knowing that Harvard, like many universities, has more work to do on this front, we intend to implement and expand these initiatives in the coming months,” he said.
The Trump administration has demanded that Harvard take a number of sweeping actions to combat antisemitism and foster freedom of expression on campus. Those steps have been deemed by Harvard and even some Trump allies as unconstitutional government overreach and infringements on the right to free speech.
Garber’s latest statement on Harvard’s work to combat antisemitism came just weeks after the university released the results of a presidential task force scrutinizing what Jews on campus have experienced.
HARVARD APOLOGIZES, PROMISES CHANGE AFTER REPORTS ON ANTISEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA ON CAMPUS
The report concluded that many “Jews and pro-Israeli students at Harvard have experienced shunning, alienation, social isolation, and discrimination” in a unique manner, with the authors writing that they were “not aware of any other group on campus that is subject to social exclusion as part of an intentional campaign by political organizers.”
“An identity-based bias” that kept Jewish students from fully participating in Harvard’s educational, co-curricular, and social life was tolerated at the university, holding “support among segments of Harvard’s faculty, staff, and students,” according to the report.
