Brown University’s $50 million deal with the Trump Administration ends federal probes, reinstates research funding, and forces the Ivy League school to abandon woke policies, combat antisemitism, and restore academic ties with Israel.
In a stunning reversal for one of America’s most progressive campuses, Brown University has agreed to a $50 million settlement with the federal government that will reinstate previously canceled research funding, end federal investigations into alleged antisemitism and racial discrimination, and roll back key “woke” policies.
The settlement, announced Thursday, forces Brown to accept the federal definition of “male” and “female”, channel $50 million into Rhode Island workforce development programs, and adopt sweeping new measures to protect Jewish students and combat antisemitism.
Among the mandated reforms: hiring an independent organization to survey the campus climate for Jewish students and reestablishing academic engagement with Israeli scholars.
President Donald Trump celebrated the deal on his Truth Social platform:
“Congratulations to Brown University on the settlement made with the United States Government. There will be no more Anti-Semitism, or Anti-Christian, or Anti-Anything Else! Woke is officially DEAD at Brown. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
US Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed the agreement as a major victory against higher education’s ideological capture:
“Aspiring students will be judged solely on their merits, not their race or sex. Women’s sports and intimate facilities will be protected for women, and Title IX will be enforced as intended. Brown has committed to proactive measures to protect Jewish students and combat antisemitism on campus.”
The settlement mirrors a $221 million deal reached last week with Columbia University, which agreed to similar antisemitism-combating reforms.
A University in Turmoil
Brown was among dozens of US campuses rocked by anti-Israel encampment protests in spring 2024. While many universities dismantled them with police intervention, Brown’s administration negotiated directly with activists—agreeing to hold a formal vote on divesting from Israel.
The decision outraged Jewish leaders. In September 2024, Brown Corporation board member Joseph Edelman resigned in protest over the planned divestment vote.
In March 2025, a damning report from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) revealed that Brown’s Choices Program—a curriculum used in 8,000 schools across all 50 states—had been shaped by undisclosed foreign funding and promoted anti-Israel narratives to over one million students.
That same month, Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese kidney transplant specialist and Brown assistant professor, was deported from the US after authorities discovered “sympathetic” Hezbollah photos and videos on her phone.
The Political and Cultural Impact
The Trump Administration has framed these settlements as part of a larger crackdown on antisemitism, anti-Christian bias, and “woke” activism on campus. The Brown deal not only restores lost research funding but sends a chilling message to elite universities: ignore antisemitism or push radical identity politics, and federal funding could vanish overnight.
With the Two-State Solution debate raging, and elite campuses becoming flashpoints in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Brown settlement marks a decisive moment in the federal government’s battle against ideological bias in higher education.
