Cornell University reached a $60 million settlement with the Trump administration to end federal investigations against it

Cornell University announced Friday that it reached a $60 million agreement with the administration of President Donald Trump to restore more than $250 million in funding for the prestigious academic institution. The agreement between the two sides revives funding and puts an end to all federal investigations the Republican administration was conducting against the university, after the White House accused it of committing numerous violations for anti-Semitism and racial discrimination.

"The decades-long research partnership between Cornell and the federal government is critical to advancing the university’s core mission and to our continuing contributions to the nation’s health, welfare, and economic and military strength. This agreement revives that partnership, while affirming the university’s commitment to the principles of academic freedom, independence, and institutional autonomy that, from our founding, have been integral to our excellence," Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff said in a statement.

The $60 million will be divided into two payments.

In his statement, the university president added that the academic institution will pay a $30 million fine to the government and invest another $30 million in various livestock and agriculture programs. Similarly, Kotlikoff detailed that Cornell agreed to continue to conduct annual surveys to determine the climate within the institution, with a greater emphasis on the environment for students of Jewish origin, as a product of the worrying proliferation of anti-Semitism in several of the country's leading academic institutions following the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Also, Kotlikoff explained that the university will turn over anonymized admissions data to the government until the end of 2028.

"I will personally certify our institutional compliance with the agreement on a regular basis, and Cornell will provide anonymized admissions data and continue to conduct campus climate surveys and carry out foreign gift and contract reporting in accordance with existing law," the Cornell president added.