From the NY Times: To much of academia, many on the left and some on the right, Harvard is a hero for standing up to the White House and rejecting its demands to reshape academic and student life. After weeks of major law firms and other prestigious institutions like Columbia University acquiescing to President Trump’s demands, Harvard, in the eyes of Mr. Trump’s critics, had become the backbone of the resistance.
...But the Harvard Corporation is, in many ways, an unwitting hero. For weeks leading up to the April 11 letter, the corporation took a very different stance toward the Trump administration. At the urging of some of its biggest donors, the corporation frantically tried to cut a deal with Mr. Trump... Even now, some of Harvard’s most influential donors, including Mr. [John] Paulson and William A. Ackman, the chief executive of the hedge fund Pershing Square, believe it is a mistake to fight with the president, according to people who have been briefed on their opinions.
...In late March, [Harvard President Alan] Garber abruptly canceled a long-planned trip to meet with alumni in India. Harvard hired William A. Burck, a lawyer who serves as an outside ethics adviser to the Trump Organization, and instructed him to start engaging with the administration. Harvard Corporation members were briefed that there was some early progress. Harvard then made an offering of sorts to its critics. The school said the director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies would be leaving his position. Conservatives had been pushing for such a move for months, arguing that the center fomented antisemitic views on campus. Not long after, Dr. Garber called [Trump son-in-law Jared] Kushner, the Harvard alumnus with perhaps the most direct connection to President Trump, to ask for help.
...On a call [April 17], [Board member Penny] Pritzker and Dr. Garber asked for input from about a dozen large donors. Many of the donors implored the corporation to slow down and negotiate for the sake of the institution, according to three donors on the call. Mr. Paulson, who has given $400 million to Harvard, encouraged the corporation to soften its stance and seek “productive” discussions, according to two donors on the call. Michael Bloomberg was one of the few pushing for a fight.
...Dr. Garber seemed to concede that the White House had raised reasonable issues about antisemitism. “We agree with a lot of what is in the government’s letter,” Dr. Garber said, according to a person on the call. Dr. Garber declined to be interviewed. A spokesman said that during the donor call the Harvard president “did acknowledge — as he has on numerous occasions previously — the serious concerns over antisemitism on campus and a lack of viewpoint diversity.” ...
Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/business/harvard-trump-deal.html.
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