Dartmouth abstains from signing letter against federal funding cuts

Dartmouth College, the only Ivy League school that did not join other universities in criticizing the Trump administration for interfering in policies and withholding federal funding, explained that signing such a letter wouldn’t effectively uphold its mission and principles. The college president, Sian Leah Beilock, prefers to focus on ongoing legal actions related to funding pauses for the National Institutes of Health and a new Energy Department policy reducing research grant indirect costs to 15%, as stated by school officials on Wednesday.

According to university spokesperson Kathryn Kennedy, President Beilock believes that signing collective letters like the one in question is not the best approach to safeguard Dartmouth’s mission and values. Over 300 university and college leaders co-signed a letter on Tuesday denouncing the Trump administration for carrying out its threats to pause billions of dollars in federal grants and research funds, partly in an attempt to influence school policies and penalize them for their responses to student protests.

After accusations of antisemitism emerged following student protests against Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip last year, Harvard and Columbia faced funding cuts. Nationwide campus demonstrations erupted a year ago during Israel’s efforts to combat Hamas fighters in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel.

In response to concerns about how the Trump administration’s funding reductions might impact them, many Ivy League universities suddenly ceased faculty hiring last month. This prompted the American Association of Colleges and Universities to address the administration in a letter, advocating for fair financial practices and rejecting the coercive use of public research funding.

A White House spokesperson, Harrison Fields, dismissed the universities’ joint letter, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to equality and fairness despite criticisms. Columbia accepted a set of demands from the administration to begin talks on restoring $400 million in federal funding that was withdrawn, whereas Harvard refused the demands and proceeded to sue the administration this week.