Columbia University announced on Tuesday that it will lay off nearly 180 staff members after the Trump administration revoked more than $400 million in federal research funding, Columbia’s Office of the President said in a May 6 statement.
The layoffs, which represent about 20 percent of university employees who were funded by the now-terminated federal grants, come as Columbia grapples with the fallout from the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to cancel hundreds of millions in grants and contracts.
The department cited the university’s alleged failure to adequately address persistent anti-Semitism on campus as the reason for the funding withdrawal.
In a message to the Columbia community, acting President Claire Shipman, Provost Angela V. Olinto, Executive Vice President for Finance Anne Sullivan, and Executive Vice President for Research Jeannette Wing described the decision as “deeply challenging” and said it was made after a thorough review of the university’s research activity and financial outlook….