Columbia Makes Concessions to Trump Amid Bid to Reclaim Federal Funds

Columbia University agreed on Friday to make changes to its protest rules, campus security policies and Middle Eastern studies department in a remarkable concession to the Trump administration, which had refused to consider restoring $400 million in federal funding without an overhaul.

The agreement, detailed in a letter sent to federal officials and shared with members of the Columbia community, could signal a new stage in the administration’s escalating clash with elite colleges and universities. Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan and dozens of other schools face federal inquiries and fear similar penalties, and college administrators have said Columbia’s response to the White House’s demands may set a dangerous precedent.

This week, the University of Pennsylvania was also explicitly targeted by the Trump administration, which said it would cancel $175 million in federal funding for the university, at least partly because it allowed a transgender woman to participate on a women’s swim team.

Columbia, facing the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in government grants and contracts over what the Trump administration said was a systemic failure to protect students and faculty members “from antisemitic violence and harassment,” opted to yield to several of the administration’s most substantial demands.

The university said it had agreed to hire a new internal security force of 36 “special officers” who will be empowered to remove people from campus or arrest them. The wearing of face masks on campus will also be banned, with exceptions for religious and health reasons.

The mask issue emerged as a point of contention last year amid campus protests over the war in Gaza, with demonstrators saying they should be able to conceal their identities to avoid being doxxed, and those who support a ban arguing that mask-wearing makes it harder to hold demonstrators accountable if their actions veer into harassment.

And in what could be most contentious move, administrators said they would appoint a senior vice provost to oversee the Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Department. The White House had demanded that the department be placed under academic receivership, an obscure step that administrators can take after extended periods of internal dysfunction.

College leaders, noting that such federal intervention is exceedingly rare, have warned that it could have catastrophic ramifications for academic freedom across the United States. Columbia did not refer to the move as receivership, but it appeared to resemble one.

Columbia’s interim president, Katrina A. Armstrong, said in a letter Friday afternoon that the university’s response was part of its effort to “make every student, faculty and staff member safe and welcome on our campus.”

“The way Columbia and Columbians have been portrayed is hard to reckon with,” Dr. Armstrong said. “We have challenges, yes, but they do not define us.”

She added: At all times, we are guided by our values, putting academic freedom, free expression, open inquiry, and respect for all at the fore of every decision we make.”

Columbia’s moves were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

This is a developing story and will be updated.