In a significant breakthrough, Cornell University has struck a settlement with the Trump administration that reinstates hundreds of millions of dollars in previously withheld federal research funding and ends a civil‐rights investigation related to alleged antisemitism on campus.
Under the terms of the deal:
- Cornell will pay $30 million directly to the government, and commit another $30 million to its agriculture and farming efficiency programs.
- The restored funding is reported at over $250 million, which had been frozen amid the probe.
- University President Michael I. Kotlikoff emphasised that the agreement affirms the institution’s long‐standing commitment to academic freedom, independence and institutional autonomy.
The investigation began earlier this year after the Trump administration froze more than $1 billion in federal funds to Cornell amid allegations that the school failed to protect Jewish students from discrimination.
This agreement not only restores vital funding for Cornell’s research programmes, including work within the departments of agriculture, defence and health, but also signals a broader federal strategy regarding civil-rights compliance within higher education institutions. Analysts say it may create a new model for how major research universities negotiate with federal oversight when faced with civil rights concerns.
Cornell’s leadership hailed the resolution as a win for the university community and for its mission in contributing to national health, economic and defence priorities. Meanwhile, critics and free-speech advocates are watching closely to assess how the conditions of the agreement will impact academic freedom and campus governance in the long term.
