Harvard University leaders are in the process of a major push to get supporters to donate money. The Wall Street Journal reported that the university is working on ways to offset the more than $2 billion in American taxpayer-funded support that has been frozen by the Trump administration over its concerns, in part, about pro-Palestinian activities and events on campus.
Harvard is the oldest university in America. It is also considered the wealthiest, with endowment accounts valued at well over $50 billion.
The Journal report indicated Harvard President Alan Garber is directly involved in the new outreach. He is focused on contact with the university's wealthiest donors.
Some donors, according to the Journal, became disenfranchised after reports of pro-Palestinian events on campus surfaced following the Oct 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack against Israel and the Israeli military response in Gaza. In the last fiscal year, donations to Harvard dropped 15%.
The Trump administration informed Harvard of the need for sweeping reforms on campus. But a defiant Garber said in the university's refusal statement, "The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue."
The latest approach by the Trump administration to clamp down on Harvard involves reviewing its tax status and threatening to block foreign students from attending.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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