Harvard President seeks alumni help to boost case against Trump

WASHINGTON - Harvard University President Alan Garber is asking alumni who want to support the school in its stand-off with the Trump administration for three things: their attention, their voices and their money.

The oldest and richest US university is embroiled in an escalating fight with the White House,

which has frozen more than US$2.6 billion

(S$3.37 billion) in funding for Harvard over its handling of antisemitism on campus.

In a message to “alumni and friends” on May 19, Professor Garber asked Harvard’s supporters to donate to a new “Presidential Priorities Fund” that gives his office the flexibility to plug spending gaps as they arise and protect the school’s core teaching and research functions.

“I am grateful to everyone who stands with Harvard as we continue to pursue our mission, drive progress, and serve the public good,” Prof Garber said in the message. “Now is the time to speak up and lend your support to institutions that have contributed so much to our nation and our world.”

Harvard has a US$53 billion endowment, but much of that money is earmarked for specific purposes such as financial aid.

Prof Garber also asked alumni to donate to the schools from which they graduated. Graduates should stay informed by reading his missives and keeping track of the research that is under threat from the funding cuts, Prof Garber said. A separate fund detailed on Harvard’s alumni website allows the president to funnel money toward sustaining research projects. 

Harvard is suing the Trump administration

over what it deems “unconstitutional demands” that threaten the school’s independence. A wide array of projects are getting caught in the middle of what is poised to be a protracted political and legal fight, including research on tuberculosis, early detection of Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS, and methods for reducing the side effects of radiation. 

Harvard has revamped its main website to highlight the research that is at risk because of the stand-off. Prof Garber asked that alumni also share their own stories and speak out in defence of Harvard and higher education more broadly “as an engine of American progress and a force for good in people’s lives” in everyday conversations, on social media and to their elected representatives.

Harvard last week said it will provide an extra US$250 million of university money to help pay for research during the coming year, on top of the approximately US$500 million it spends on research annually. BLOOMBERG