Columbia University laid off nearly 180 staff members on Tuesday due to the Trump administration’s decision to cut $400 million in federal funding over what officials described as the school’s “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
“We understand this news will be hard,” Claire Shipman, Columbia University’s acting president, wrote in a statement with other top officials, citing “intense strain on Columbia’s finances and research mission” as a result of Trump’s cuts to federal funding.
The funding cuts came in early March after Trump’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism determined the Ivy League institution had failed to adequately protect Jewish students from harassment.
“Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses — only to be…
