A wave of austerity is crashing down on American universities, and even the most prestigious ones aren’t being spared. From Harvard and Columbia to Princeton and Michigan State, campuses are slashing budgets, laying off staff, and eliminating even modest comforts like coffee and desk phones, all in response to sweeping federal funding cuts orchestrated by US President Trump’s administration.In what many educators are calling an unprecedented assault on higher education, Trump has pulled billions in federal research dollars, citing concerns over antisemitism and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) practices, the Wall Street Journal reported. He has signed an executive order targeting foreign funding and Republicans in Congress are now pushing to hike taxes on university endowments, a move that would gut financial resources at wealthy institutions.“We’re going to have to really rethink higher education and how we’re funded,” said Ruth Johnston of the National Association of College and University Business Officers, as quoted by the WSJ.Harvard: From courtrooms to coffee cutsNow locked in a high-stakes legal battle with the federal government, Harvard is scrambling to stay afloat amid plummeting research support.President Alan Garber has taken a 25% pay cut, and Hopi Hoekstra, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, has formed emergency committees to find ways to preserve core research. But even if Harvard wins its lawsuit seeking to restore billions in lost grants, Hoekstra admits the damage is likely permanent.“These federal actions have set in motion changes that will not be undone, at least not in the foreseeable future,” she told faculty.At Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, nearly half the budget relied on federal grants, nearly all of which have now disappeared. The school has responded with layoffs, lower grad-student admissions, and deep cos it’s culture that’s being erased.Garber has pledged $250 million from Harvard’s own coffers to temporarily patch some of the holes, but even he acknowledges it’s a stopgap measure.Columbia: 300 grants lost, 180 laid offColumbia University is reeling from the cancellation of more than 300 multiyear federal research awards. In one of the most visible signs of the fallout, 180 staff tied to those grants have been laid off, around 20% of affected personnel. Some research has halted altogether, while other projects are running on internal “stabilization” funds meant only to buy time.“We are working on and planning for every eventuality, but the strain in the meantime, financially and on our research mission, is intense,” wrote acting President Claire Shipman and senior administrators in a letter to faculty.The university has frozen most raises and rolled out a voluntary retirement plan as it braces for deeper cuts.Princeton, Michigan State brace for the stormAt Princeton, departments have been told to prepare for budget reductions of 5–10% over the next three years. The administration cited “very large, permanent cuts to federal research funding” and “substantial increases to the endowment tax” as the cause.Several dozen of Princeton’s federal research grants have already been suspended.At Michigan State University, President Kevin Guskiewicz announced that the school must “adjust our financial path.” Though specifics weren’t provided, he confirmed that finances would be restructured with an eye on short-, medium-, and long-term savings.Political overtones and red-state silenceIronically, it’s the wealthiest and most liberal universities, those with billion-dollar endowments and the loudest opposition to Trump’s policies, that are being hit the hardest and fastest.Robert Kelchen, a professor at the University of Tennessee, pointed out that while Democratic-led states and Ivy League schools are sounding the alarm, red-state universities may be facing similar pressures in silence. “Being transparent is a good political move in blue states,” he said. “But don’t assume they’re alone.”A reckoning in slow motionSo far, the undergraduate experience hasn’t changed dramatically. But the quiet erosion of faculty, research, and resources is underway, and by fall, students may start noticing. Hiring freezes have spread since March when the National Institutes of Health announced funding caps. Layoffs, though not yet widespread, are gaining momentum.For now, universities are taking aim at “easy” targets: cutting perks, deferring construction, and consolidating departments. But as the financial vise tightens, the next phase could hit deeper.“We are in the early stages of a structural transformation,” said Erin Hennessy of TVP Communications. “And for many institutions, this is just the beginning.”
