Columbia University Concedes to Trump Administration Demands Amid Funding Conflict

Columbia University, facing a loss of $400 million in federal funding due to allegations of antisemitism, has agreed to terms set by the Trump administration. The university will implement policy changes including revisions to its Middle Eastern Studies department and security measures on campus.

Columbia University has agreed to policy changes demanded by the Trump administration to restore $400 million in federal funding, lost amid claims of antisemitism on campus. The New York university has outlined plans to tighten security, mandate changes in its Middle Eastern Studies department, and review academic freedom issues.

The university will appoint a new senior official to oversee curriculum and faculty reviews in its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies department, a move echoing academic receivership without explicitly stating it. Professors and academic groups nationwide have criticized this development as a serious violation of academic freedom.

Alongside these academic changes, Columbia has barred certain face masks and increased the number of campus security officers with arrest powers. These adjustments come in response to a recent wave of protests and funding threats from the administration, which are affecting other universities and organizations across the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)