(New York) The American University Columbia announced on Wednesday an agreement of $ 221 million “to end the investigations carried out” by the administration of Donald Trump, at war against several establishments accused of wokism and to have tolerated the demonstrations for the end of the conflict in Gaza.
Since his return to power in January, the American president has continued to accentuate the pressures on universities, by freezing, in the case of Columbia, hundreds of millions of dollars of subsidies paid by the federal state for research.
“Columbia will pay the federal state 200 million dollars over three years,” the university said in a statement, adding that it will also pay $ 21 million to an organization devoted to equal opportunities.
“Under the agreement concluded today, the vast majority of federal subsidies that have been deleted or suspended in March 2025 will be restored,” said the prestigious establishment.
“It is important to note that the agreement preserves the autonomy and authority of Columbia with regard to the recruitment of teachers, admissions and academic decisions,” added the university, whose compromises with the president were strongly criticized.
At the end of May, the president of Columbia, who notably sanctioned participants in the demonstrations for Gaza, had been hooted, during a graduation ceremony, by students who accuse her of having yielded to the government’s pressure.
In contrast, Harvard distinguished himself in an showdown against Donald Trump, who has justly referring the withdrawal of just over 2.6 billion dollars in federal subsidies and the revocation of his Sevis certification, the main system by which foreign students are authorized to study in the United States.
On Monday, a court asked the Trump administration to justify the freezing of these subsidies.
