Columbia University Shows Early Signs Of A Spine

The New York Times reports:

Columbia University, which has faced criticism for not striking a more defiant stand against efforts by the Trump administration to set its agenda, showed signs late Monday of adopting a tougher tone. In a note sent to the campus, the acting president pledged that the school would not allow the federal government to “require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy.”

The message came less than 12 hours after Harvard became the first university to refuse to comply with the administration’s demands, prompting federal officials to freeze $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to the school. The letter was sent to students and faculty members as Columbia has endured intense fire for what critics regard as White House appeasement.

Ms. Shipman wrote that Columbia would “reject heavy-handed orchestration from the government that could potentially damage our institution and undermine useful reforms.” She said that any agreement in which federal officials dictated “what we teach, research, or who we hire” would be unacceptable.

Read the full article.

Columbia Vows to Reject Any Trump Deal That Erodes Its Independence https://t.co/HFpOUMVKwk

— Ted Smyth (@TedSmyth) April 15, 2025