Harvard Freezes Hiring

Harvard University says it has frozen staff and faculty hiring because of "substantial financial uncertainties driven by rapidly shifting federal policies." In a letter to staff, Harvard President Alan Garber said the temporary freeze is intended to "preserve our financial flexibility until we better understand how changes in federal policy will take shape and can assess the scale of their impact." The move comes days after the administration pulled $400 million in funding from Columbia University, accusing it of not doing enough to fight antisemitism on campus. The administration is also investigating Harvard over protests that followed the start of the Hamas-Israel war in 2023, Politico reports.

"We need to prepare for a wide range of financial circumstances, and strategic adjustments will take time to identify and implement," Garber wrote. "Consequently, it is imperative to limit significant new long-term commitments that would increase our financial exposure and make further adjustments more disruptive." He said Harvard is "working hard to advocate for higher education in our nation's capital and beyond." Last month, Stanford and Cornell announced hiring freezes to prepare for possible cuts in research funding, the Harvard Crimson reports. (More Harvard University stories.)