Massive financial aid cuts threatened by the Trump Administration to many Ivy League American universities and renowned research institutions will paralyze significant path-breaking scientific research projects and its unique global scientific leadership. One of the latest reports states that U.S. universities will be confronted with acute financial strains emanating from President Trump’s proposal to severely diminish funding for research budgets during the rest of his nearly 40-month second presidential term. To begin with, the Trump White House has already chopped off Harvard University’s research funding of $470 million. And the university’s $2.2 billion grant is also on the line.
In addition, cutting costs from ‘hiring freezes, research pauses, broad budget cuts, and layoffs are hitting many top-ranking universities.’ Though nearly five dozen U.S. universities are on the line, those affected the most include Harvard, Columbia, Princeton and Michigan state. It is widely believed that all-round budget cuts will severely imperil universities’ traditional funding on several fronts in Trump’s campaign to remake higher education. But one thing is for certain – the US’s quality, history-making and distinct research standards will largely degrade. According to a recent media report (Wall Street Journal) President Trump has “yanked or threatened to pull billions of federal research dollars, citing concern about antisemitism and DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion. He has signed an executive order cracking down on foreign funding.”
While Columbia University, an Ivy League institution, has already surrendered to the White House diktat for effecting material changes in its various administrative, academic and research programmes, Harvard has stood firm so far. Harvard president Alan Garber has announced he’ll take a 25 per cent pay cut. Meanwhile, the university’s numerous committees in the faculties of arts and sciences are looking for avenues to save and keep research projects going somehow. All universities are in regular consultation to tackle the situation. Harvard, globally-recognized for excellence in every area of academic performance boasts 162 Nobel Prize winners and scientists.
Many of its researchers are working on cancer immunotherapy, brain tumors, organ transplants, diabetes and more. It was a Harvard researcher who discovered the molecule that is the basis for the GLP-I weight-loss medications that have revolutionized obesity care, as reported by The New York Times. Similarly, just one Columbia department, biomedical engineering, has produced more than 140 inventions in the past five years that led to over 30 industry licenses. In fact. altogether, 87 Columbia researchers, and faculty members and alumni have won Nobel prizes. There are numerous other pathbreaking research programmes that await funding.
These include pediatric cancer and treatment for veterans. The federal government has already issued a ‘stop-work order’ on Harvard research. The NY Times report adds “the upshot is that Trump’s lust for power and vengeance may one day be measured by more Americans dying of cancer, heart and other ailments.” There is yet another report on how financial cuts will “put research on tuberculosis and A.L.S. – Lou Gehrig’s disease at risk’ and scientists warn of long-term fallout, but support their research’s stance.’ If stopped ‘it’ll be the deepest cut yet in a White House campaign against universities that began shortly after Trump took office… other universities include Princeton, Cornell, and Columbia also met with deep cuts to research funding.’
The federal government has also reportedly demanded that Harvard make ‘sweeping changes to its admission and hiring policies… or face ‘financial threats and penalties, including freezing $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to the university, along with a $60 million contract.’ The university has also been threatened with losing its ‘tax-exempt’ status. Meanwhile, though persistent vicious attacks on elite universities by the Trump White House continue unabated, several teachers’ associations and university workers’ groups have been planning to sue the administration.
Many senior faculty members have also taken to writing in the media protesting against the irrational, irrelevant orders for professors and administrators. One Columbia history professor wrote: “Columbia will not allow any government to deny professors their rightful role in personnel decisions or to dictate the content of our curricula.’’ Professor Matthew Connelly’s reflection further demonstrates the depth of the falling standards of American universities’ and makes painful reading. He adds: “We will not collaborate with government agents’ intent on deporting our students and faculty members simply because they exercised their First Amendment rights…. The greatness of American universities is at risk because anti-intellectuals are undermining the foundations of academic excellence.”
(The writer is a former Professor, Indian Institute of Mass Communications.)