Graduates at Harvard enthusiastically support their commencement speakers, who challenge the institution to maintain its principles and show resilience.
Harvard Faces Federal Threats Over Funding and International Student Enrollment
Cambridge, Mass. - Graduates at Harvard University celebrated their commencement on Thursday, acknowledging the institution's ongoing battle with the Trump administration. Speakers emphasized the importance of maintaining a diverse and international student body and standing up for academic freedom amid federal restrictions.
The Ivy League school has been at odds with President Donald Trump's administration over funding and restrictions on teaching and admissions, adding to the challenges faced by the thousands of graduates who entered college during a pandemic and weathered subsequent student-led protests over the war in Gaza.
One student speaker, Thor Reimann, addressed his fellow graduates, saying, "We leave a campus much different than the one we entered, with Harvard at the center of a national battle of higher education in America." He expressed pride in the university's ongoing project of veritas, which he considered worth defending.
Harvard's disagreements with the Trump administration have resulted in the potential loss of federal funding and the ability to enroll international students, should the university fail to comply with the administration's evolving demands. The university, founded over a century before the nation's existence, has led the charge in defying the White House in court and has faced heavy penalties as a result.
Among the administration's recent actions was a request for federal agencies to cancel approximately $100 million in contracts with the university. The government has already canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants, threatened to cut off international student enrollment, and even questioned Harvard's tax-exempt status.
On Tuesday, visa interviews for international students admitted to schools nationwide were halted, and Trump suggested that Harvard should reduce its international enrollment from 25% to about 15%.
The nation's wealthiest university, sustained by a $53 billion endowment, is testing whether it can withstand Trump's efforts to limit perceived antisemitic activism on campus, an affront to academic freedom. The administration has used campus protests against Israel as proof of "antisemitic violence and harassment," and has demanded that Harvard make broad leadership changes, revise its admissions policies, and audit its faculty and student body to ensure diversity of opinions.
In response to these threats, Harvard has filed lawsuits to block the funding freeze and managed to temporarily halt the ban on enrolling international students. During a hearing in Boston on Thursday, a federal judge extended her order blocking the ban on international student enrollment.
Career diplomat Nicholas Burns, who served as the U.S. ambassador to China and now teaches at Harvard, stated, "Harvard can't be Harvard without its international students."
Harvard President Alan Garber has contested the government's allegations, insisting that the school is nonpartisan and has taken steps to combat antisemitism on campus. He referred to the federal sanctions as an "unlawful attempt to control fundamental aspects of our university's operations."
During the commencement ceremony, speakers called on Harvard to stand strong in the face of adversity, with Salutatorian Aidan Robert Scully delivering a speech emphasizing diversity as a strength and defending it against attempts to restrict it. Chinese graduate Yurong "Luanna" Jiang expressed concern over the increasing threat to a global worldview, stating that "we're starting to believe those who think differently, vote differently or pray differently are not just wrong - we mistakenly see them as evil."
Acclaimed author and Stanford University expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Abraham Verghese, praised Harvard for courageously defending its values and asserted that more people than one realizes have noticed the example set by the students. On Wednesday, basketball Hall of Famer and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar compared Harvard's response to Rosa Parks's stand against racist segregation.
Sources:[1] Associated Press, "Trump moves to cut another $100M in grants to Harvard," May 20, 2025; "Federal judge extends order blocking Trump administration ban on foreign students at Harvard," May 4, 2025; "Harvard holds commencement amid pressure from Trump administration," May 27, 2025; "Judge: Harvard researcher charged with smuggling frog embryos was unlawfully detained by ICE," March 3, 2025; "Trump moves to cut $100M more in grants to Harvard," May 22, 2025; "All of the actions Trump has taken against Harvard (May 22)," May 22, 2025.
- Harvard's ongoing battle with the Trump administration extends beyond funding, involving restrictions on teaching and admissions, specifically international student enrollment, in the field of education-and-self-development.
- The government's actions against Harvard, such as cancelling federal research grants and questioning its tax-exempt status, are not isolated incidents, but are part of a broader political conflict that threatens academic freedom.
- In response to the federal threats, Harvard has taken legal action, the most recent being a lawsuit to block the funding freeze and a successful attempt to temporarily halt the ban on enrolling international students.
- Amidst these challenges, Harvard's president and speakers at the commencement ceremony have emphasized the importance of standing up for diversity, academic freedom, and the university's founding values, which are key aspects not just in Seattle's general-news landscape, but nationwide.
