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Subject: Weekly Briefing: Harvard quietly shutting down program Trump doesn't like
Harvard is dismantling a program targeted by Trump.
Alan Garber, president of Harvard U., walks during commencement ceremonies last month.Libby O’Neill, Getty Images
Making concessions? Publicly, Harvard University is involved in a legal fight with the Trump administration over a federal funding freeze. But behind the scenes, the institution is quietly taking steps seemingly tailored to appease the administration over charges that the university has let antisemitism run amok. Our Francie Diep
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Harvard is dismantling a program targeted by Trump.
Alan Garber, president of Harvard U., walks during commencement ceremonies last month.Libby O’Neill, Getty Images
Making concessions? Publicly, Harvard University is involved in a legal fight with the Trump administration over a federal funding freeze. But behind the scenes, the institution is quietly taking steps seemingly tailored to appease the administration over charges that the university has let antisemitism run amok. Our Francie Diep has the story of how Harvard is dismantling a religious-studies program that came under fire since shortly after October 7.
Taking stock. The University of Austin created a buzz when it was first announced in 2021. Unlike established colleges, which the founders of UATX said were ruled by progressive orthodoxy, the new institution’s guiding light would be free inquiry. The university has just wrapped up its first academic year. So, how are things going? Is the institution living up to its mission? How is it responding to criticism? Our Christa Dutton interviewed the founding president, Pano Kanelos, to find out. And read thisChronicle article from 2022 about UATX’s earliest days.
United front. When Congress announced last month that it was planning to increase the tax rate on endowments, much of the attention was focused on several big-name universities that would face the highest tax rate of 21 percent. But many liberal-arts colleges would also see their rates rise — more modestly but likely more devastatingly. Our Sarah Huddleston has the story on what exactly a rate increase would mean for small institutions and how the colleges are banding together to oppose it.
A new era begins. After months of anticipation, amateurism in college athletics is officially dead. A judge signed a settlement this month that will both compensate former athletes and allow colleges going forward to pay their players. Among the specifics of the deal is that each college will be allowed to pay its athletes a combined $20.5 million per year. Our Nell Gluckman has more details on the $2.8-billion settlement.
Read. The world of HR software might not immediately elicit images of intrigue in people’s minds, but two rival start-ups could change all of that. They are involved in a high-stakes battle centered on an internal spy who was — depending on whom you ask — acting as a whistleblower or stealing trade secrets. (Bloomberg)
The university banned “expressive activities” between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., and reprimanded some faculty members for violating the policy. A federal judge just temporarily blocked it.
