1:06Education Secretary Linda McMahon spoke with her team while waiting on the North Lawn of the White House for a television interview on July 15, 2025. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
On Thursday, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon expressed her "immense satisfaction" regarding the $220 million agreement reached by the Trump administration with Columbia University.
"This marks a cultural shift for the campus," McMahon conveyed to ABC News following lengthy discussions concerning Trump administration claims about Columbia’s response to antisemitism during protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict and its alleged inadequacies in protecting Jewish students from harassment.
"We aspire for this to serve as a model for other institutions, aiming to restore our universities to environments where students feel secure on campus," she remarked.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon engaged with her staff while awaiting a TV interview on the North Lawn of the White House, July 15, 2025.Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
McMahon emphasized her belief that the agreement reached on Wednesday promotes an atmosphere for open debate and discussion at the New York City university, where diverse opinions and beliefs can be shared.
"That is the essence of what universities stand for," she stated.
The secretary countered criticisms alleging that the department is trying to limit academic freedom and that the federal government is overstepping its bounds in its funding disputes with universities.
"The Education Department, and indeed the administration, is not attempting in any way to dictate curriculum or similar matters," McMahon informed ABC News. "However, the administration has made it clear that a fair playing field must exist."
"Both sides need to be represented on campuses," she added.
As part of the agreement, which will require Columbia to pay a $200 million settlement to the federal government over three years, the university has committed to ensuring adherence to admissions and hiring practices, effectively prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies at the institution. Nevertheless, the university stated that it did not breach civil rights laws by discriminating based on race, sex, nationality, or other characteristics.
"In conjunction with the settlement, the University has not acknowledged any wrongdoing and disputes the government's assertion that it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act," Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman mentioned in a statement.
The agreement reinstates nearly half a billion dollars in educational grants and contracts at the Ivy League institution, which the university claims funds essential research initiatives. The Trump administration’s joint task force on antisemitism imposed the federal funding freeze in March following a task force investigation that revealed the school’s inaction to safeguard Jewish students.
Despite the new arrangement, some Jewish students continue to express disappointment, arguing that it does not go far enough. Recent Columbia graduate Eden Yadegar mentioned to ABC News that it is not as robust as the university's "initial commitments" made earlier this year.
"It is vital to continue advocating for Jewish students at Columbia and on campuses nationwide through every available means; we have much more work ahead of us," Yadegar stated.
Students observed on the Columbia University campus, April 14, 2025, in New York.Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
Columbia recognized that "Jewish students and faculty have faced distressing and unacceptable incidents, and that reforms were and are necessary."
McMahon emphasized that Jewish students will now have protection on Columbia’s campus, as the university has committed to persist in its efforts against antisemitism by providing reports to a federal monitor biannually.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
