SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
Columbia University will pay more than $200 million to the federal government to resolve multiple federal investigations.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
This comes after monthslong negotiations between the university and the Trump administration. The settlement will restore access to billions of dollars in federal funding, resuming frozen grants and opening up opportunities for future research.
PFEIFFER: NPR's Elissa Nadworny has been covering this. Good morning, Elissa.
ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE: Good morning.
PFEIFFER: How expected or unexpected was this?
NADWORNY: Well, back in March, the Trump administration sent a list of demands to Columbia that included strong controls over an international studies department and significant changes to student discipline and other university policies. This was in response to the administration's allegations of antisemitism on campus. If the university wanted to win back about $400 million in federal grants that were frozen and be eligible for billions of dollars in future money, it would have to comply. And so Columbia said in a statement that it would overhaul their policies and thus began the behind-the-scenes negotiations. Now, Sacha, this is a very different tactic than fellow Ivy League school Harvard University, which rejected the government demands and sued the administration.
PFEIFFER: Right. So what are the details of the Columbia agreement?
NADWORNY: So Columbia will pay $200 million to the federal government over three years, and then an additional $21 million to settle an investigation that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission launched into claims of workplace harassment based on religion. The university's acting president, Claire Shipman, released some of the details of the agreement in a statement. She said both sides agreed to a dispute resolution process that includes an independent monitor and arbitrator, which will essentially function as neutral third parties. She also said the settlement would address concerns about admissions and hiring, though she didn't provide details. And that the university would be sharing requested data with the federal government that followed existing law and regulations. But she did make it very clear in her statement that Columbia will retain control over its academic and operational decisions, saying, quote, "the federal government will not dictate what we teach, who teaches or which students we admit."
PFEIFFER: And what's been the reaction both from the government and then from the education sector?
NADWORNY: Well, on Truth Social, President Trump thanked Columbia for, quote, "agreeing to do what is right." He went on to say that settlements with other higher education institutions were upcoming, but other groups aren't so thrilled. In a statement, the president of the American Association of University Professors, Todd Wolfson, said, quote, the announcement "is a devastating blow to academic freedom & freedom of speech at Columbia." Now, that organization represents professors across the country and has filed multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration. You know, also, Sacha, I've been keeping in touch with James McAffrey. He's a student organizer at Harvard University. Here's what he told me about the settlement.
JAMES MCAFFREY: I'm disappointed that Columbia is capitulating, but not necessarily surprised by it. A lot of students are concerned about the precedent this sets for other universities to go down this route.
NADWORNY: So McAffrey was there actually earlier this week when Harvard and the administration argued in federal court over the legality of the government's cancellation of more than $2 billion in federal grants there. We are still waiting for the judge's decision in that case, and I guess the big question from this settlement, Sacha, is kind of, like, what will this mean for other universities who are arguing with the government over similar funding cuts?
PFEIFFER: Right, and I'm sure you'll be covering that over time. That's NPR's Elissa Nadworny. Thank you.
NADWORNY: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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