CAMBRIDGE, MA – In a significant show of solidarity, 24 universities, including five Ivy League institutions, along with over 12,000 alumni, have rallied behind Harvard University in its escalating legal battle against the Trump administration. The administration’s threats to cut billions in grants have prompted this unprecedented support.
Immediate Impact
On Monday, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others, filed an amicus brief backing Harvard. They argue that a funding freeze would not only impact Harvard but also stifle American innovation and economic growth due to the interconnected nature of scientific research.
Key Details Emerge
In a separate filing, 12,041 Harvard alumni described the potential withholding of funds as a “reckless and unlawful” maneuver by the government to exert control over higher education institutions.
“The escalating campaign against Harvard threatens the very foundation of who we are as a nation,” the alumni stated in their brief. “We embrace our responsibility to stand up for our freedoms and values, to safeguard liberty and democracy, and to serve as bulwarks against these threats to the safety and well-being of all.”
Industry Response
The amicus briefs aim to offer the court expert insights, though the schools and individuals are not directly involved in the lawsuit. This legal support follows Harvard’s rejection of a government list of 10 demands in April, which included auditing student viewpoints to address alleged antisemitism on campus.
The government threatened to freeze $2.2 billion in multiyear grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value, prompting Harvard to file a lawsuit.
By the Numbers
The universities’ brief, which includes other prominent institutions like Georgetown and MIT, highlights the critical advancements achieved through government-academia partnerships, such as the Human Genome Project and the Covid-19 vaccine.
“These cuts to research funding risk a future where the next pathbreaking innovation — whether it is a cure for cancer or Alzheimer’s, a military technology, or the next Internet — is discovered beyond our shores, if at all,” the brief warned.
Expert Analysis
Sally Kornbluth, president of MIT, emphasized the necessity of making a legal argument against the funding cuts. “Although the value to the public of federally funded university research feels obvious to us at MIT, we felt compelled to make the case for its countless benefits to the court and, in effect, to the American people,” Kornbluth stated.
Background Context
The alumni’s brief supports Harvard’s motion for a summary judgment submitted last week, which, if granted, would allow the court to decide the case without a full trial. Notable alumni such as comedian Conan O’Brien, author Margaret E. Atwood, and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., criticized the administration’s actions as an attempt to limit academic freedoms.
“We unequivocally condemn antisemitism and every other form of discrimination and hate, which have no place at Harvard or anywhere else in our society,” the alumni stated. “Yet charges of antisemitism — particularly without due process and proper bases and findings by the Government — should not be used as a pretext for the illegal and unconstitutional punishment and takeover of an academic institution by the Government.”
What Comes Next
This legal support emerges amid a prolonged conflict between the administration and Harvard University. The school recently sued the administration following a proclamation by Trump last week denying visas for foreign students intending to study at the prestigious institution.
The situation remains fluid, with potential implications for the future of academic funding and the autonomy of educational institutions across the United States.