Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
3d ago

Education Department Investigates UC Berkeley Over Undisclosed Chinese Funding

The Trump administration has launched a formal probe into UC Berkeley’s compliance with federal foreign funding disclosure laws, focusing on $220 million in unreported contributions from China.

The entrance to the UC Berkeley campus from Oxford Street is shown in 2024.
FILE - Students walk through Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley campus on March 29, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
Image
Image

Overview

  • The Department of Education has opened an investigation into UC Berkeley's adherence to Section 117, which mandates disclosure of foreign gifts or contracts worth $250,000 or more.
  • Education Secretary Linda McMahon directed the Office of General Counsel to enforce stricter oversight, reversing lenient policies of the previous administration.
  • UC Berkeley has been given 30 days to provide records detailing foreign funding, with particular scrutiny on its financial ties to Chinese government-controlled entities.
  • The investigation follows a 2023 admission by UC Berkeley that it failed to report $220 million in foreign contributions, citing a misunderstanding of legal obligations.
  • President Trump recently signed an executive order tightening foreign funding disclosure rules to improve transparency and address concerns over foreign influence in U.S. higher education.