Washington– Cornell University agreed to pay $60 million and accept the Trump administration’s interpretation of civil rights laws in order to restore it Federal funding and ending investigations into the Ivy League school.
Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff announced the agreement Friday, saying it supports the university’s academic freedom while restoring more than $250 million in research funding withheld by the government amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations.
The university agreed to pay $30 million directly to the US government, in addition to another $30 million for research that will support American farmers.
The agreement revives the campus’s partnership with the federal government “while affirming the university’s commitment to the principles of academic freedom, independence and institutional independence that have, since our founding, been an integral part of our distinctiveness,” Kotlikoff said.
The six-page agreement is similar to the one he signed University of Virginia last month. It is shorter and less prescriptive than others he has signed Columbia University and Brown University.
The order requires Cornell to adhere to the government’s interpretation of civil rights laws on issues related to anti-Semitism, racial discrimination and transgender issues. The Department of Justice memo ordering colleges to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender-friendly policies will be used as a training resource for Cornell faculty and staff.
The campus must also provide a wide range of admissions data that the government has requested separately from the campus to ensure race is not a factor in admissions decisions. President Donald Trump has suggested that some universities are ignoring the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end affirmative action in admissions.
Education Minister Linda McMahon has described it as a “transformational commitment” focused on “merit, rigor and the search for truth”.
“These reforms are a major win in the fight to restore excellence to American higher education and make our schools the greatest in the world,” McMahon said on X.
The Cornell president must personally certify compliance with the agreement quarterly. The deal is valid until the end of 2028.
This appears to divide the difference on a controversial issue that colleges have grappled with as they negotiate their way out of federal scrutiny: payments made directly to the government. Columbia agreed to pay $200 million directly to the government, while Brown University reached an agreement to pay $50 million to the state’s workforce organizations. The Virginia deal included no payment at all.
___
AP’s education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Search for access points Standards To work with charities, a existing From supporters and sponsored coverage areas at AP.org.