Colleges across the country are waiting with cautious anticipation for the pending deal between Harvard University and the Trump administration, The Hill reported on Thursday.
On Friday of last week, President Donald Trump teased on his Truth Social platform that a deal between the esteemed university and the White House was forthcoming.
"Many people have been asking what is going on with Harvard University and their large-scale improprieties that we have been addressing, looking for a solution. We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so," Trump wrote.
Both parties have engaged in a legal back-and-forth since the administration sent a letter to Harvard in April demanding the school eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and make a greater effort to weed out antisemitism as well as other sweeping changes.
After a month of inaction, the Department of Homeland Security blocked Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students, which make up nearly 30% of the student body. In May, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs then instructed Harvard's lawyers and attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice to craft an agreement to cease the revocation of the student visa program.
Some observers, however, suspect it's highly unlikely a deal can be crafted that will satisfy both parties. Rick Hess, senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute told The Hill, "If the government and Harvard come to an agreement, and Harvard looks like it got a slap on the wrist, it could create the impression that the government has gotten ahead of itself, and these institutions can push back. If it looks like Harvard got taken to the woodshed, I think it will make a lot of other institutions even more nervous."
Jon Fansmith, senior vice president for government relations and national engagement at the American Council of Education, agreed, saying that the minutia of the deal matters far more than any of Trump's posts.
"I think for a lot of people in higher education, the details really matter. And if there is going to be an agreement, and who knows [if] that's even going to happen, what will matter most is what that agreement looks like," he said.
Behind the walls of Harvard, many faculty members are skeptical of any deal that could come from the current White House. "An agreement you make with this administration is not worth the paper it's written on," English professor Derek Miller said. "No matter what you sign, you can't trust them."
"Even if a relatively 'good deal' is negotiated — and I think you know, from Harvard's standpoint, that may be the chance — it's still a devastating outcome for democracy," said government professor Steven R. Levitsky. "This is an authoritarian mugging," he added.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.