WASHINGTON (AP) — Cornell University has agreed to pay $60 million and accept the Trump administration’s interpretation of civil rights laws in order to restore federal funding and end investigations into the Ivy League school.
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff announced the agreement on Friday, saying it upholds the university’s academic freedom while restoring more than $250 million in research funding that the government withheld amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations. He said the government’s funding freeze had stalled research, upended careers and threatened the future of academic programs.
The university agreed to pay $30 million directly to the U.S. government along with another $30 million toward research that will support U.S. farmers.
The agreement is the latest struck between President Donald Trump’s administration and elite colleges he has accused of tolerating antisemitism and promoting far-left ideas. Trump is still locked in a standoff with Harvard, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, and lately has tried an incentive-based approach by offering preferential access to federal funding for other schools that sign onto his political agenda.
Kotlikoff said the agreement revives the campus’ partnership with the federal government “while affirming the university’s commitment to the principles of academic freedom, independence, and institutional autonomy that, from our founding, have been integral to our excellence.”
The six-page agreement is similar to one signed by the University of Virginia last month. It’s shorter and less prescriptive than others signed by Columbia University and Brown University.
A statement from Cornell’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors said the deal “omits many of the worst provisions” in agreements struck by other colleges. Still, it said Cornell’s deal poses a threat to academic freedom and goes beyond what the law requires.
“One of the major concerns with these agreements generally has been, if you make a deal with somebody when they’re just extorting you, well, that only encourages future extortion,” said David Bateman, the chapter president, in an interview.
The agreement requires Cornell to comply with the government’s interpretation of civil rights laws on issues involving antisemitism, racial discrimination and transgender issues. A Justice Department memo that orders colleges to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender-friendly policies will be used as a training resource for Cornell’s faculty and staff.
The campus must also provide a wealth of admissions data that the government has separately sought from campuses to ensure race is no longer being considered as a factor in admissions decisions. Trump has suggested some campuses are ignoring a 2023 Supreme Court decision ending affirmative action in admissions.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it a transformative commitment that puts a focus on “merit, rigor, and truth-seeking.”
“These reforms are a huge win in the fight to restore excellence to American higher education and make our schools the greatest in the world,” McMahon said on X.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the agreement illustrates the value for colleges that work with the administration. Colleges that receive federal funding “must fully adhere to federal civil rights laws and ensure that harmful DEI policies do not discriminate against students,” Bondi said in a statement.
Cornell’s president must personally certify compliance with the agreement each quarter. The deal is effective through the end of 2028.
It appears to split the difference on a contentious issue colleges have grappled with as they negotiate an exit from 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 state workforce organizations. Virginia’s deal included no payment at all.
The agriculture investment will be made over three years, aimed at programs that incorporate artificial intelligence and robotics with the goal of supporting research that reduces costs for U.S. farmers. Founded as a land-grant school, Cornell has longstanding ties with American agriculture.
Kotlikoff was among hundreds of university presidents who signed an April letter opposing “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” from the Trump administration.
Kotlikoff emphasized that Cornell was not found in violation of federal law and said the agreement will preserve the campus’ independence. “In short, it recognizes our rights, as a private university, to define the conditions on our campuses that advance learning and produce new knowledge,” he wrote.
The campus AAUP raised concerns with several provisions of the deal. The group said the agreement invites future federal intrusion through requirements to share enrollment data and to conduct campus surveys on antisemitism. It also opposed the $30 million payment to the government, calling it “extortion plain and simple.”
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