What we know about Columbia’s $221 million settlement with the Trump administration

The news that Columbia University will pay more than $200 million to the federal government comes after several investigations and months of negotiations with the Trump administration.

The settlement announced on Wednesday restores Columbia’s access to some $1.3 billion in federal funding – resuming frozen grants and opening up opportunities for future research. And the university agreed to take steps to curb antisemitism on its campus.

Here’s what we know about the details:

The money 

Columbia agreed to pay a $200 million fine to the federal government, over three years. The university agreed to pay an additional $21 million to settle an investigation launched in March by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission into claims of workplace harassment based on religion.

No admissions of fault 

Columbia did not admit to any wrongdoing, and the university said it does not agree that it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in its handling of allegations of antisemitism. The settlement agreement “is not an admission in whole or in part by either party, and Columbia expressly denies liability regarding the United States’ allegations or findings.”

However, in a letter yesterday to faculty and students, Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, noted that Columbia has “recognized, repeatedly, that Jewish students and faculty have experienced painful, unacceptable incidents, and that reform was and is needed.”

Antisemitism

Shipman acknowledged “the very serious and painful challenges our institution has faced with antisemitism.” She pledged to “work on multiple fronts to combat all forms of hatred and intolerance at Columbia, and you will see more efforts to that end in the coming months.”

The settlement commits Columbia to follow through on earlier commitments, including:

• Naming new faculty members “with joint positions in both the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies and the departments or fields of economics, political science” or the university’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
• Amending its antidiscrimination policies to include the definition of antisemitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
• Naming coordinators to respond to antisemitism allegations, and a new administrator to serve as a liaison to students and advise on “ways to improve and to support Jewish students.”
• Provide additional university-wide training on antisemitism.
• Reaffirming Columbia’s zero tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment.

Restoring frozen funds 

The Trump administration had frozen or placed on hold “the majority” of its $1.3 billion in federal funding, Shipman said. “With the agreement,” she noted, “our access to billions of dollars in federal research funding will resume.”

The settlement restores payments on research grants the government had frozen, as well as some contracts the government had terminated (those from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services, but not the Education Department and other government agencies). And it makes Columbia eligible once again for future grants, contracts and awards.

“Not only will this resolution restore Columbia’s ability to fully participate in its longstanding federal research partnerships,” Shipman said, “but it also will ensure critical continuity for faculty, students, and staff across every discipline.”

Academic freedom

Shipman argued that the agreement preserves Columbia’s academic independence. “The federal government will not dictate what we teach, who teaches, or which students we admit,” she said.

Not everyone agreed with that assessment.

“This announcement is a devastating blow to academic freedom and freedom of speech at Columbia,” said Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors.

Admissions and Hiring

The settlement says that the government will have no authority over “faculty hiring, university hiring, admissions decisions, or the content of academic speech.”

But Columbia did agree to some of the government’s demands. The university will not use “race, color, sex, or national origin” in hiring decisions “across all schools, departments, and programs.”

The university vowed to keep its admissions policies merit-based and promised not to “unlawfully preference applicants based on race, color, or national origin in admissions.”

DEI

Columbia agreed to “not maintain programs that promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas, diversity targets, or similar efforts,” and to comply with existing antidiscrimination laws.

Compliance

The agreement establishes procedures for arbitration when there are disputes, and creates an independent “resolution monitor.” That process, Shipman said, “requires that the government go through a very specific, prescribed set of steps if it believes we are not meeting the terms of the agreement.”