By SUSAN JONES
It’s been another busy two weeks for the Trump administration. Here are the actions taken since Feb. 21 that might have an impact on Pitt and higher education in general:
Feb. 25: The American Federation of Teachers union and the American Sociological Association file a new federal lawsuit in Maryland challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” memo from Feb. 14, that gave schools and universities two weeks to eliminate “race-based” practices of any kind or risk losing their federal money. The lawsuit says the memo violates the First and Fifth Amendments. Forcing schools to teach only the views supported by the federal government amounts to a violation of free speech, the organizations say, and the directive is so vague that schools don’t know what practices cross the line.
Feb. 26: The NIH releases a statement saying the agency could now “begin sending notices incrementally to the Office of the Federal Register to advertise meetings of scientific review groups/study sections and begin their resumption,” according to NPR. Federal Register notices are required before many federal meetings can be held. The stoppage forced the agency to cancel meetings to review thousands of grant applications. The agency planned to submit Federal Register notices for the next 50 meetings, according to the statement. That will allow for the first phase of grant application reviews to start to resume. But Federal Register notices for other types of meetings remain “on hold,” which means the later stages of grant review remain frozen.
Feb. 27: The American Council on Education and more than 60 higher education associations call on the Department of Education to rescind its recent Dear Colleague Letter regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion policies on college campuses.
Feb. 28: The deadline for schools and universities to comply with the “Dear Colleague” letter passes with many schools, including Pitt, making no changes.
Feb. 28: The Trump administration announces that a federal task force will visit 10 university campuses to investigate antisemitic incidents that have been reported since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks set off a wave of college protests against Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza.
The 10 universities are: Columbia; George Washington; Harvard; Johns Hopkins; New York University; Northwestern; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.
March 4: The Senate confirms former WWE executive and co-founder Linda McMahon as education secretary. She quickly sends out a message to staff laying out a “final mission” for the Education Department, as she vows to fulfill President Trump’s campaign promise to dismantle the department and send education decisions back to the states. The letter outlined “our convictions”:
- Parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education.
- Taxpayer-funded education should refocus on meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history — not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology.
- Postsecondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs.
March 4: President Trump posts a rant on social media about campus protests: "All federal funding will STOP for any College, School or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS!”
March 5: The National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire, saying the Dear Colleague letter violates educators’ free speech rights.
March 5: U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston, who had temporarily blocked cuts to NIH reimbursement of indirect costs last month, files a preliminary injunction that puts the cuts on hold for longer, while lawsuits by 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions proceed. The administration is likely to appeal the ruling.
March 7: The Trump administration said it’s pulling $400 million from Columbia University, canceling grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus, according to the Associated Press. Columbia vowed to work with the government to try to get the money back.
“We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff,” the university said in a statement.
March 8: Federal immigration authorities detain a well-known activist who played a major role in Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian student movement last year, according to the New York Times. Mahmoud Khalil, who graduated in December with a master’s degree from the university’s school of international affairs, is of Palestinian heritage and a legal permanent resident of the United States.
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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