President Trump said on Monday that he weighs whether that is Restore $ 3 billion In granting Harvard University’s funds across the United States, but education experts say this process faces great obstacles.
Mr. Trump’s comment, which was presented on social media, comes as an escalating attack on Ivy League School. Last week, the Trump administration moved to Harvard was prevented from registering international studentsAnd the president took other steps to Freezing billions of dollars in Federal Harvard financingAnd he also claims that the institution did not do enough to address anti -Semitism on its university campus.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration wrote in a letter that all federal agencies should consider canceling Government contracts With Harvard, or transferred them to other organizations.
Research universities apply for federal scholarships in a competitive process, with the funds granted for specific purposes, such as scientific research. This includes the possession of faculty members, researchers and other employees who search, as well as laboratories or other facilities necessary to complete the project.
For example, a modern national science institution Grant Harvard is granted to research “a theory of complexity theory on nearby and medium -term quantum devices”, with the proposal that describes the project as aiming to “struggle with the current challenges in quantum computing.”
In contrast, commercial schools provide practical vocational training in areas ranging from cosmetics to plumbing, and the type of research funded by agencies such as NSF and national health institutes is usually not conducted.
“It is illegal and unrealistic as a proposal, a kind of thing that the responsible administration should not say,” John Vanmith, the first vice president of the American Education Council (ACE), a non -profit institution representing higher education institutions, told CBS Moneywatch.
He added: “The money that was granted to Harvard University is granted because it has submitted a competitive request, has been granted, and the financing of scientific research, which is largely what is.”
He said that while other schools, including those that run commercial programs, said they can apply for similar grants, Harvard’s funds can not be simply transferred to another recipient.
Do commercial schools get federal scholarships?
Commercial schools, which can be either for or non -profit, usually provide joint certificates or certificates instead of a bachelor’s degree, master’s and groups offered by universities such as Harvard University.
Although the commercial school can apply for a grant or contract in order to obtain a grant for the services that are equipped to provide the government, it generally does not have faculty, employees or facilities to conduct scientific or medical research.
“I don’t see how commercial schools can apply for NSF or NIH scholarships,” he said. “There are rules on government purchases and granting applicants who are better to provide services that the government seeks.”
Mr. Trump has not specified any institutions that might receive Harvard’s grant financing beyond referring to it as “commercial schools”.
Various concentration
If Mr. Trump wants to redirect financing, he is likely to follow a specific process, according to
Experts.
“As president, you can take money that Congress goes for a specific purpose and says:” I will spend it elsewhere. “You need some basis to give it to other schools.”
More specifically, the Trump administration will need to provide evidence that Harvard’s grants were not granted based on the merit, according to Barisia. He added: “Then there are ways the government can take in the future to ensure better the rules of its purchases. But I have not heard anyone claiming that any awards to Harvard have been given incorrectly.”
A group of schools that offer commercial programs competing for federal scholarships. For example, the Legumia Community College in Queens, New York, part of New York City University, in 2023 receive More than $ 400,000 from the US Department of Labor to enhance its professional training offers across electric fields, plumbing, HVAC and similar fields.
But such schools do not generally do the type of academic and scientific research that qualify for federal scholarships granted to institutions such as Harvard.
“The commercial schools and community colleges do not do these things, so he was unable to redirect the same academic responsibility from Harvard to a commercial school,” said Jason Almetir, CEO of Justice Education Colleges, a group representing 800 private schools after the job rank of CBS Moneywatch.
Altmire said that his group’s organizations do not usually receive any federal funding for academic or scientific research, noting that commercial schools will welcome additional government support and financial aid to students. But such help is unlikely in the form of grants from national health institutes or NSF.
“They can finance vocational training and support students so that they can reach job schools,” Altmire said. “There are appropriate ways that the federal government can support the work of commercial schools, especially and public, and we will be excited about it.”
