President Donald Trump’s administration is demanding Columbia University make widespread changes in disciplinary policies and admissions to reverse the cancellation of about $400 million in federal funds.
Columbia University, a private Ivy League school in New York City, has faced intense scrutiny from the Trump administration over anti-Israel protests that took over parts of campus last spring. Last week, the Trump administration announced it would pull $400 million in grants and contracts from the university, saying the school failed to combat antisemitism.
On Thursday, officials from the General Services Administration, Department of Education, and Department of Health and Human Services outlined “immediate next steps” in a letter addressed to Dr. Katrina Armstrong, Columbia’s interim president. The Trump administration noted the school must take these steps by March 20 “as a precondition for formal negotiations regarding Columbia University’s continued financial relationship with the United States government.”
Some demands include banning face masks that conceal protesters’ identities, giving the university president, not school faculty, disciplinary power over students, and empowering campus police to arrest “agitators who foster an unsafe or hostile work or study environment.”
Other requests include providing the administration with plans to “hold all student groups accountable” and making reforms to undergraduate admissions, international recruiting, and graduate admissions practices to comply with federal law.
“We expect your immediate compliance with these critical next steps, after which we hope to open a conversation about immediate and long-term structural reforms that will return Columbia to its original mission of innovative research and academic excellence,” the letter states.
A university spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal the school is reviewing the letter.
“We are committed at all times to advancing our mission, supporting our students, and addressing all forms of discrimination and hatred on our campus,” the spokesperson said.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CANCELS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GRANTS WORTH $400 MILLION
The 2024 protests led to former Columbia University President Minouche Shafik’s resignation after she faced lawmakers in a contentious Capitol Hill hearing.
Earlier Thursday, the university announced it had punished students who occupied Hamilton Hall, an administrative building, during the 2024 protests. Those students have been expelled, suspended, or had their degrees revoked.
