Columbia University has agreed to comply with US President Donald Trump’s sweeping demands in order to restore $400 million in federal funding that was revoked earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing a memo from the university to the administration.
As part of the agreement, Columbia will prohibit masks on campus, grant 36 campus police officers expanded authority to arrest students and appoint a senior vice provost with broad oversight over the Department of Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies, as well as the Center for Palestine Studies.
One of the most contentious aspects of the negotiations has been control over the Middle East department, a move that has ignited fierce debate among faculty members at Columbia and beyond. The newly appointed vice provost, selected by Columbia, will be responsible for reviewing the curriculum, hiring of non-tenured faculty, and leadership “to ensure the educational offerings are comprehensive and balanced.”
Columbia’s concessions mark a major victory for Trump in his ongoing battle with elite universities over the anti-Israel protests on campuses.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration withdrew federal grants and contracts from Columbia, citing the university’s failure to protect Jewish students. The university had been at the center of pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrations that disrupted campuses across the country last year.
Columbia later signalled a willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration in order to restore the funding, which interim President Katrina Armstrong acknowledged would "immediately impact research and other critical functions."
The Wall Street Journal report noted that, before talks on restoring federal funding, the Trump administration initially set forth nine demands. Columbia, however, now says it has gone even further by implementing additional measures to promote intellectual diversity.
A senior Columbia administrator acknowledged that the university considered legal action against the Trump administration but ultimately decided against it. The school determined that the federal government had numerous tools at its disposal to withhold funding, making a legal battle challenging. Additionally, university officials recognized that many of the required changes aligned with reforms they already intended to implement.
Columbia has come under increased scrutiny over the rise in antisemitism on campus since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators at Columbia set up dozens of tents in April of 2024, demanding that the university divest from its Israeli assets. The university administration called in police to dismantle the encampments.
On April 30, at the request of university leaders, hundreds of officers with the New York Police Department stormed onto campus, gaining access to the building through a second-story window and making dozens of arrests of the pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators who had taken over Hamilton Hall.
In August, three Columbia University deans resigned from the school, after it was discovered that they had exchanged “very troubling” texts that “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes”.
The university has seen a resurgence of anti-Israel activity in recent weeks. In January, anti-Israel students disrupted an Israeli history class by banging drums, chanting “Free Palestine,” and distributing fliers that depicted a boot stomping on a Star of David.
The students were later expelled, prompting protests at Barnard College. The demonstrations escalated when protesters took over the Barnard College library, leading to multiple arrests.
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