On April 11, the White House released this letter to Harvard University. This prompted an unexpectedly ugly public dispute between the feds and the storied institution. On the move Josh Gruenbaum signed correspondence as GSA commissioner. He and his colleagues Sean R. Kevney and Thomas E. Wheeler called on Harvard to go much further, demanding systemic change in the way the university conducts business.
Both people briefed on the matter confirmed that the letter was “unauthorized.” The White House seems to have called on Harvard to eliminate programs advancing their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda. It further demanded that the university vet international students for ideological red flags. This demand included an extensive and detailed list of changes that the administration wanted to make at the university.
The timing of this letter coincided with ongoing discussions between the White House and Harvard regarding how the institution managed issues related to antisemitism and other concerns. Unlike most similar cases, the demands arrived with little warning, sparking a historic counter-response from Harvard. The institution doggedly disputed the requirements listed in the letter.
The letter touched off an unprecedented and very ugly battle over the sanctity of academic governance. It put almost $9 billion in federal funding for Harvard at risk. The White House’s response was to freeze more than $2.2 billion in grants to the university. This operation escalated the seven-year conflict even further.
A spokesperson for Harvard commented on the situation, stating, “the letter that Harvard received on Friday, April 11, was signed by three federal officials, placed on official letterhead, was sent from the e-mail inbox of a senior federal official, and was sent on April 11 as promised.” This comment highlighted Harvard’s overall argument that even if there were an error, the letter had a veneer of legitimacy.
Another spokesperson echoed concerns about the implications of the government’s actions, noting, “Even if the letter was a mistake, the actions the government took this week have real-life consequences on students, patients, employees, and the standing of American higher education in the world.”
As tensions increased, it soon became apparent that both sides were having a hard time charting a course through this unplanned confrontation. The White House is using this NEH funding to push Harvard toward more consequential reforms. We believe this insistence violates the principle of academic freedom and highlights deeper issues with federal overreach in higher education.
Leave a Reply