Columbia University will cut nearly 180 staff positions following the Trump administration’s suspension of $400 million in federal funding.
Columbia University announced Tuesday that it will be eliminating close to 180 staff positions as a result of the Trump administration’s decision to withhold $400 million in federal funding, reports The Associated Press.
The funds were frozen in March following federal criticism of the university’s handling of anti-Israel student protests on campus.
The affected roles represent roughly 20% of staff positions that had been supported by the now-suspended grants, the university said in a public statement.
“We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,” Columbia said, as quoted by AP. “Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.”
University officials said they remain engaged with federal authorities in an effort to have the funding reinstated. However, citing budgetary pressure and uncertainty, the university confirmed it would begin reducing expenditures across several areas, including academic research.
Certain departments are expected to halt research activities entirely, while others will continue operating at reduced capacity as they seek alternative sources of funding.
Weeks after the Trump administration announced the funding cut to Columbia, the university announced a series of reforms, including placing the university’s Middle East studies department under new oversight, revising protest and student discipline policies, and adopting a new definition of antisemitism.
Columbia also pledged to promote “intellectual diversity” by expanding its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.
After the university rolled out the changes, US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Columbia was “on the right track,” though she declined to commit to a timeline for restoring the federal funding. Requests for comment from the Department of Education went unanswered as of Tuesday.Columbia also pledged to promote “intellectual diversity” by expanding its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.
After the university rolled out the changes, US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Columbia was “on the right track,” though she declined to commit to a timeline for restoring the federal funding. Requests for comment from the Department of Education went unanswered as of Tuesday.
