Brown University reaches agreement with Trump administration to restore federal funding

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Brown University on Wednesday announced an agreement with the Donald Trump administration to restore federal funding and resolve three ongoing nondiscrimination reviews.

"The agreement will reinstate payments for active research grants and restore Brown's ability to compete for new federal grants and contracts, while also meeting Brown's core imperative of preserving the ability for its students and scholars to teach and learn without government intrusion," the university said in a statement.

The agreement will restore Brown's medical and health sciences research funding, including reimbursement of more than 50 million U.S. dollars in unpaid federal grant costs.

The agreement also includes Brown's commitment to pay 50 million dollars in grants over 10 years to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island, where the university is located.

"The University's foremost priority throughout discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values, and who we are as a community at Brown," Brown President Christina H. Paxson said in a letter to the Brown community.

"We stand solidly behind commitments we repeatedly have affirmed to protect all members of our community from harassment and discrimination, (and) we protect the ability of our faculty and students to study and learn academic subjects of their choosing," Paxson said.

The president noted that the agreement "does not include any payments or fines to the federal government."

Explaining why Brown "voluntarily negotiated toward an agreement," Paxson said that for the last few months, the university's mission and its community have been under threat.

"Beyond the financial stresses of terminated and unpaid research grants and contracts, we have observed a growing push for government intrusion into the fundamental academic operations of colleges and universities, and with the stated purpose of compelling a commitment to comply with laws focused on prohibitions against antisemitism and discrimination," she said.

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon reacted to the agreement on social media platform X, saying, "The Trump Administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation's higher education institutions."

"Because of the Trump Administration's resolution agreement with Brown University, aspiring students will be judged solely on their merits, not their race or sex. Brown has committed to proactive measures to protect Jewish students and combat Antisemitism on campus. Women's sports and intimate facilities will be protected for women," McMahon said.

In April, the Trump administration announced that it would freeze 510 million dollars in federal contracts and funding to Brown University, citing its handling of campus antisemitism and diversity policies.

The Education Department had previously announced that approximately 60 American colleges and universities -- including Harvard, Cornell, Yale, and Brown -- were under federal investigation.

Brown University is one of the eight elite Ivy League universities, known for its academic excellence and historic legacy.

Last week, another Ivy League school, Columbia University, announced that it had reached a settlement with the federal government, agreeing to pay over 200 million dollars to restore access to 400 million dollars in federal funding. ■