Hillsdale College, a conservative institution in Michigan that accepts no federal funding, has been trolling Harvard University as it tries to fight the Trump administration over policy changes tied to federal grants.
As Breitbart News has reported, the government has demanded changes to Harvard’s policies and governance as part of an effort to combat antisemitism and remove radical ideologies from campuses across the nation. The administration has threatened some $9 billion in federal grants to Harvard in particular. Harvard is pushing back, describing the Trump administration’s approach as an infringement on academic freedom.
Hillsdale gave up federal funding decades ago, after resisting government efforts to require it to identify students by race. Hillsdale fought — and lost — a legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court, which determined that institutions that receive federal money cannot defy federal educational policies. Hillsdale responded by refusing federal money — which cost it in the short run, but benefited it in the long run, as it developed a reputation for intellectual integrity, political independence, and academic excellence.
As Harvard’s administrators issued angry statements against the government, Hillsdale commented on X:
Several institutions have been targeted thus far by the Trump administration. Columbia University decided to comply with the administration’s demands, rather than fight it and risk $400 million in federal grants.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Read the full article here