The prestigious American University Columbia announced, Tuesday, May 6, the dismissal of around 180 people after the massive abolition of federal aid from the administration of Donald Trump. A great support of Israel, the American president accuses of anti -Semitism of renowned universities like Columbia or Harvard, for having left the prosperous campuses the student movements against the war in Gaza or, more generally, of being households of progressive contestation.
The government eliminated $ 400 million (around 352 million euros) in federal funds, including 250 million in the health field at Columbia in New York, which have launched drastic reforms requested by the administration in early March, in early March 3520 million in the administration to try to recover these funds.
On Tuesday, university management said in a long press release that it had to make “Difficult choice” in order to ” preserve “ his “Research capacities”.
New “risks”
“Unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who worked, entirely or in part, on research projects which benefited from these deleted federal funds, will receive a notice of non-renewal or dismissal”said the university. “This represents around 20 % of people who worked on research projects” Affected by the Trump administration cuts, added Columbia management, which has not revealed the identity of researchers and research projects affected by these measures.
She says she is preparing for new “Risks” As for the “Continuation” Current research projects and obtaining new federal funds.
Columbia said it set up a program of “Stabilization” under which some researchers will be able to obtain “Internal scholarships” To support their research “For a limited period”while the establishment “Continues its efforts to restore its partnerships” With federal agencies funding research.
Harvard in the standstill
The income of Columbia, a private establishment of the prestigious and selective Ivy League, amounted in 2024 to 6.6 billion US dollars, including 1.3 billion in “Government aid”according to its website.
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