Columbia University appears close to meeting President Donald Trump's demands that could restore $400 million in federal funding, it was reported Wednesday.
The Trump administration late last week said it would permanently end federal funding to Columbia unless the Ivy League school ceded control of an international studies department and implemented sweeping changes to other campus policies.
In a letter sent Thursday night, federal officials said the New York university must immediately place its Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Department under "academic receivership for a minimum of five years." Such a move puts it under the oversight of a professor or administrator outside the department.
The school also must ban masks on campus meant to conceal the wearer's identity "or intimidate others," adopt a new definition of antisemitism, abolish its current process for disciplining students, and deliver a plan to "reform undergraduate admissions, international recruiting, and graduate admissions practices."
The letter gave Columbia a week to agree to the demands.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that board of trustees discussions remained fluid and could turn in a different direction before Thursday.
One senior university official told the outlet that conversations with federal regulators were continuing and productive, though the school wasn’t ready to publicly talk about negotiations.
Some board members have expressed concern the university is "trading away its moral authority and academic independence for federal funds," the Journal reported. Other board members have argued Columbia has limited options because it needs federal money.
The Journal also reported that Columbia agreeing to the demands wouldn't guarantee that federal funds will return. It simply would meet a "precondition for formal negotiations."
Other "immediate and long-term structural reforms" need to be done at Columbia, the letter said.
On March 7, just 32 days after opening an investigation at Columbia, the Trump administration pulled $400 million in research grants and other federal money. It threatened to cut more over the university’s handling of protests against the war in Gaza and allegations of antisemitism.
Kenneth Marcus, who led the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights during Trump’s first term, said the administration appears to be using its wide latitude over federal contracts to pressure Columbia, rather than limiting itself to the "cumbersome, bureaucratic, and relatively weak" Title VI process.
"The Trump administration is moving faster and punching harder than we’ve seen in the past, and that clearly is going to have a greater impact than prior administrations," said Marcus, who now leads the Brandeis Center, a Jewish civil rights nonprofit.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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