Obama, Healey Back Harvard After Funding Freeze Sparks Campus Protest
Former President Barack Obama and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey are speaking out in support of Harvard University after the school declined to comply with demands from the Trump administration, leading to a $2.2 billion federal funding freeze.
Obama praised Harvard for standing firm.
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”
Gov. Healey echoed that message, denouncing the demands as “bullying tactics” and commending the university for defending education and institutional independence.
The 10 demands, which the administration says are aimed at addressing antisemitism on campus, include restricting the acceptance of international students who are “hostile to the American values and institutions.” The administration also wants a third party to audit programs that it says “fuel antisemitic harassment or reflect ideological capture.”
The federal government has also warned other universities, including Columbia, that they could face similar funding threats.
On April 12, hundreds of people gathered at Cambridge Common in Massachusetts to protest what they described as political interference in academia.
“No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” – President Alan Garber https://t.co/6cQQpcJVTd
— Harvard University (@Harvard) April 14, 2025
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Obama, Healey Back Harvard After Funding Freeze Sparks Campus Protest was originally published on wbt.com
