Harvard’s president says they should stand firm as Trump is targeting elite schools

Why Do We Need More Research Funding to Attend Universities? The U.S. Embassy and the Trump administration’s multi-billion dollar funding freeze

Recent developments in the US may have created problems for many international students. HKU stands ready to welcome affected students at Harvard who wish to explore options and pathways for continuing their studies with us,” a spokesperson for the university told Nature.

The Trump administration’s multi-billion dollar funding freeze came after Harvard refused demands to change policies around hiring and admissions, eliminate DEI programs, or screen international students who are “supportive of terrorism or anti-Semitism,” as the administration put it.

“Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the country because after all, the research funding is not a gift,” Garber said, adding that these dollars are awarded to efforts deemed “high-priority work” by the federal government.

There needs to be a commitment from us to what we stand for. And what we stand for – I believe I speak for other universities – is education, pursuit of the truth, helping to educate people for better futures. And hopefully our own students, after they graduate from our institutions, go out and serve the world. In the end, we want to serve and produce knowledge for our nation and world. When we fail in that, then we can expect to be attacked. I think we need to increase our commitment to the nation and the world. And I know my fellow leaders fully embrace that.

Harvard has won awards from the “Oscars of Science,” for their work on obesity and diabetes drugs, as well as using gene editing to correct disease-causing genetic defects.

Harvard’s president says it will’stand firm’: The government should not tolerate the views of antisemitism on campus

After a federal judge blocked the administration’s attempt to yank Harvard’s ability to enroll international students last week, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social that the home countries of those students are not at all friendly to the United States and that they pay nothing toward their student’s education. The president’s post also said his administration wants “to know who those foreign students are.”

Harvard has been engaged in legal battles with the Trump administration and is worried about antisemitism on campus, but it is also worried about political diversity, which is why it has cooperated with major research universities.

Alan is of the opinion that the federal government wants to address antisemitism but has raised other issues, and that we lack viewpoint diversity. We have been very clear that we think we do have issues, and I would particularly emphasize the speech issues. Faculty feel that they have to think twice before they talk about the subjects that they’re teaching if the students don’t feel free to speak their minds. That is a real problem that we need to address. It’s concerning when people have opinions that are unpopular. Conservatives aren’t welcome on campus because the administration says they are too few. It is true, that is a problem that we really need to address.

Garber: To the best of my knowledge, they are not true. I need to add, by the way, that this is clearly the subject of litigation, as you pointed out earlier. We tried to comply in line with the law.

Source: As Trump targets elite schools, Harvard’s president says they should ‘stand firm’

Harvard would not be Harvard without international students. What do you think about a child’s opinion? A lawsuit against the president of Harvard admits it cannot’stand firm’

Inskeep: Is that a small example of what you’re trying to do in a large way? You want to allow all kinds of ideas, but you also don’t want people to be mean to each other.

Inskeep: Is this what you mean The lawsuit says Harvard would not be Harvard without international students.

What do you think about the person in the middle of the country that is listening to us but doesn’t have a stake in this? I didn’t go to Harvard. I don’t want my child to go to Harvard. I don’t like Harvard very much. It seems to be about a different group of people. And Harvard deserves what they’re getting. Or in any case, it doesn’t matter much to me.” What do you say to someone who has that attitude?

Garber: I would ask them to learn a little bit more, not only about Harvard, but about universities like Harvard – that is research universities. At the center of our university is teaching and learning. Much of the activities of the university are about research. A lot of discoveries have been made at Harvard and other universities in the fields of cancer and treatments of the disease.

Source: As Trump targets elite schools, Harvard’s president says they should ‘stand firm’

Is it really possible to cut back on research dollars? The answer to the Garber problem is, is this the most effective use of the federal funding?

The federal government is able to reallocate funds through the budgeting process. But the question to ask is what problem is he trying to solve by doing that? The money that goes to research universities in the form of grants and contracts, which is almost all of the federal support that we get, is used to pay for work that we perform at the behest of the government. So in reallocating to some other use, including trade schools, it means that work just won’t be performed. So the right question is, is this the most effective use of federal funding? Do you really want to cut back on research dollars? I’m less concerned about whether it goes to a trade school or if it goes to some other project, like working on highways. The real question is, how much value does the federal government get from its expenditures on research? There is a lot of actual research demonstrating the returns to the American people have been enormous.

Garber: Well, they said that. and I have to believe it, and I’ve repeated it myself. And that is how it’s understood by the other leaders of other universities that I have spoken to. It is a warning. They see this as a message that if you don’t comply with what we’re demanding, these will be the consequences.