The White House has secured a $221 million settlement with Columbia University to resolve multiple federal civil rights investigations. The deal includes $200 million over three years for alleged discriminatory practices and $21 million to settle claims of antisemitic employment discrimination against Jewish faculty after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel. The agreement restores billions in federal research funding and imposes oversight through an independent monitor. Columbia has agreed to reform, including enhanced campus protest rules and changing disciplinary authority from faculty to administrators.
The Trump Administration’s deal with Columbia University is a seismic shift in the fight to hold institutions accountable for antisemitic discrimination and harassment. Most of Columbia’s suspended federal grants will be reinstated, including those from the National Institutes of Health and Department of Health and Human Services. The agreement codifies reforms Columbia announced earlier this year, including changes to campus safety, enhanced training programs, and new reporting mechanisms. It also includes the appointment of Title VI and Title VII coordinators and additional commitments made in July, most notably, the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.
Columbia’s Jewish student life organization, Columbia/Barnard Hillel, said the settlement represents a major step in the right direction, acknowledging the need for reform after “painful, unacceptable incidents” affecting Jewish students and faculty. Acting President Claire Shipman said the settlement safeguards academic independence and allows essential research to resume.
