Harvard University’s Case against Antisemitism on Campus: Dr. Alan Garber and the Futility of the Trump Administration
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is offering international students at Harvard dedicated scholarships, accommodation assistance and guidance on transferring academic credit, according to a letter addressed to them, which was posted on X yesterday by Zhigang Suo, a materials engineer at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Trump administration, acting on its claims that Harvard has failed to stamp out antisemitism on campus, froze more than $2 billion in research grants and contracts in April and attempted to revoke the school’s ability to enroll international students last week. The federal government is being sued by the university.
Alan Garber, the president of Harvard, told Morning Edition he finds the measures taken by Trump to be confusing. While he acknowledges there is work to be done on campus, he said he struggles to see a link between funding freezes and fighting antisemitism.
With elite U.S. universities in President Trump’s crosshairs, the leader of Harvard University says institutions need to double down on their “commitment to the good of the nation” and be firm in what they stand for.
As evidence of how his university’s work directly benefits the U.S. public, Garber points to recent honors awarded to Harvard faculty by the Breakthrough Prize, known as “The Oscars of Science,” for their work on obesity and diabetes drugs and gene editing, used to correct disease-causing genetic variations.
After a federal judge blocked the administration’s attempt to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students last week, Trump posted on his Truth Social that the home countries of those students are “not at all friendly to the United States” and “pay NOTHING toward their student’s education.” In his post, the president said that his administration wanted to know who foreign students are.
During his interview with Steve Inskeeping, Garber discussed Harvard’s legal fight with the Trump administration, the work of major research universities and the administration’s concerns about antisemitism on campus.
The federal government says that we need to address antisemitism, but it also raises other issues and states we lack viewpoint diversity. We have been very clear that we think we do have issues, and I would particularly emphasize the speech issues. We think it’s a real problem if students don’t feel they can speak their mind when they are told they’re not allowed to do so. That is a real problem that we have to address. And it’s particularly concerning when people have views that they think are unpopular. And the administration and others have said conservatives are too few on campus and their views are not welcome. In so far as that’s true, that’s a problem we really need to address.
They are not true, according to my knowledge. I need to add, by the way, that this is clearly the subject of litigation, as you pointed out earlier. We tried to comply with the law.
What would you tell a kid in Harvard Lawsuit to get their kids involved in research? The example of a lawsuit that Trump targeted elite schools, Harvard’s president says they should’stand firm’
Inskeep: Is that a small example of what you’re trying to do in a large way? You want people to engage with each other in a civil way, but you also want to allow all sorts of ideas.
Inskeep: Is this what you mean when, in the lawsuit, you say that without international students, which is a quarter of your student body, Harvard would not be Harvard?
Inskeep: What would you say to someone in the middle of the country who is listening to us and maybe thinking, “I really don’t have a stake in this? I did not go to Harvard. I’m not sending my kid to Harvard. I don’t like Harvard very much. This seems to be about a different kind of people. Harvard deserves what they’re getting. In any case, it doesn’t matter to me. What would you tell a person with that attitude?
Garber: I would ask them to learn a little bit more, not only about Harvard, but about universities like Harvard – that is research universities. The center of the university is teaching and learning. But actually, if you look at the activities of the university, so much of this is about research. There’s so many discoveries that have come from Harvard and other research universities, advances in cancer and treatments of cancer of all kinds.
What is the most effective use of the federal funding? – A warning to research universities, and what is a warning to the American people?
The federal government has the authority to reallocate funds through the budgeting process. What problem is he trying to solve by doing that? The money that goes to research universities in the form of grants and contracts, which is almost all of the federal support that we get, is used to pay for work that we perform at the behest of the government. So in reallocating to some other use, including trade schools, it means that work just won’t be performed. So the right question is, is this the most effective use of federal funding? Do you want to reduce your research funding? I’m not concerned about it going to a trade school or working on highways. How much value do the government get by spending money on research? There is a lot of research showing the returns to the American people.
Garber: They said that. I’ve repeated it myself because I have to believe it. And that is how it’s understood by the other leaders of other universities that I have spoken to. It’s a warning. They see this as a message that if you don’t comply with what we’re demanding, these will be the consequences.
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The Case For A New American Life: Harvey’s President Rejoins Against Trump. And, an Analysis of DEI Job Losses
Corporate America is not following in the footsteps of DEI. This move showcases a significant shift from five years ago, when the racial reckoning triggered by George Floyd’s murder sent companies racing to staff up. NPR reports on the extent of job losses in this field.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group supported by the US and Israel, has started to deliver limited quantities of food to Gaza, where hunger is widespread and extreme. However, the group is facing suspicion and growing criticism from the UN and other aid groups. Jake Wood, the executive director, resigned on Sunday, saying he could not abandon principles of humanity, impartiality and independence.
The parents of a young son who left the U.S. to join Islamic State learned of their grandsons trapped in a Syrian desert camp. The State Department says that the US citizens are among 22 who are still in the camps. The two Minnesota boys were flown in a military plane to New York to start a new life in the American Midwest. The full story is by NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer.
Source: Harvard’s president speaks out against Trump. And, an analysis of DEI job losses
Born and Born in Santiago: NPR’s Brian Mann on the Way to Cerro San Cristóbal, a National Park Visitor’s Guide
The capital of South America, Santiago, Chile, has perfect hiking conditions with steep hills above the city. At the center is Cerro San Cristóbal, with breathtaking views of wildflowers, pine forests and the Andes Mountains. NPR’s Brian Mann made the trek, where he ventured through forested hills of volcanic rock and groves of cactus. Check out photos from his journey, and listen to what he has to say.