Harvard University president Alan Garber said on Monday that the school would do more to combat antisemitism in response to the Trump administration’s announcement that it was reviewing $9 billion in federal contracts and grants with the Ivy League institution.
In an open letter to the Harvard community titled “our resolve,” Garber said that the review threatened funding for “life-saving research” and could “imperil important scientific research and innovation.”
“We fully embrace the important goal of combatting antisemitism, one of the most insidious forms of bigotry,” Garber wrote. “Urgent action and deep resolve are needed to address this serious problem that is growing across America and around the world. It is present on our campus.”
Garber, who is Jewish and who was named president of the university in January 2024, added that he had “experienced antisemitism directly, even while serving as president.”
Earlier on Monday, the Trump administration issued a warning that it was reviewing “more than $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard University, its affiliates and the federal government,” as well as “more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments” to examine whether Harvard is in compliance with federal civil rights regulations with regard to discrimination against Jews.
On March 11, the Department of Education sent letters to 60 universities, including Harvard, to issue notice that they were potentially failing to fulfill their obligations to protect Jewish students from harassment under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The review of Harvard’s funding follows a similar action the Trump administration took against Columbia University that resulted in the school agreeing to nine measures to combat Jew-hatred on campus, including a ban on masked protests.
Columbia’s interim president resigned shortly after that deal was announced. Garber rose to his position in 2024 after the resignation of Claudine Gay amid controversy over her responses to a congressional committee about antisemitism at Harvard and following revelations that she had plagiarized much of her academic work. Gay, who is black, said that the campaign against her was driven by “racial animus.”
Garber’s open letter on Monday notes reforms that Harvard has made in recent years, including “enhanced training and education on antisemitism,” and notes that the university will “engage” with the federal antisemitism task force, but does not list concrete actions the school will take.
“We are not perfect,” he wrote. “Antisemitism is a critical problem that we must and will continue to address. As an institution and as a community, we acknowledge our shortcomings, pursue needed change, and build stronger bonds that enable all to thrive.”