Overview

• Harvard University formally rejected demands from the Trump administration to alter policies on diversity, admissions, hiring, and campus activism, citing constitutional rights and institutional independence.
• In response, the administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts, significantly impacting Harvard's research funding and operations.
• The administration justified its demands as efforts to combat antisemitism, though critics argue the measures are politically motivated and infringe on academic freedom.
• Prominent figures, including Barack Obama, and institutions like Yale have expressed support for Harvard, framing the dispute as a defense of constitutional and academic rights.
• The funding freeze is part of a broader federal campaign targeting elite universities, with similar actions taken against Columbia, Princeton, and Northwestern over the past year.