Art of the Deal: Another University Pays Up for Campus Antisemitism

The Trump administration’s negotiation with Northwestern University has resulted in the school agreeing to fork over $75 million to the U.S. government to resolve a series of investigations into campus antisemitism.

The deal, reported by the Associated Press on Saturday, will restore millions of dollars in federal research funding to the Chicago-area university.

For leverage, the Trump administration had stopped $790 million in grants in a standoff that led to university layoffs and the resignation in September of Northwestern president Michael Schill, according to the wire service.

The administration argued the university had not done enough to fight antisemitism during months of protest by pro-Palestinian groups over the Israel-Hamas war.

According to AP:

Under the agreement announced Friday night, Northwestern will make the payment to the U.S. Treasury over the next three years. Among other commitments it also requires the university to revoke the so-called Deering Meadow agreement, which it signed in April 2024 in exchange for pro-Palestinian protesters ending their tent encampment on campus.

Jewish groups had criticized the Deering agreement, which included the reestablishment of an advisory committee on university investments in Israel and companies with ties to the Jewish state. They claimed that the school had “succumbed to the demands of the mob” and had not make Jewish students feel safer on campus.

The president has been leveraging the flow of federal research money to push for changes at elite colleges he has described as overrun by “woke” ideology. The agreement with Northwestern addresses some of Trump’s signature issues.

According to AP:

The agreement also calls for Northwestern to continue compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws, develop training materials to “socialize international students” with the norms of a campus dedicated to open debate, and uphold a commitment to Title IX by “providing safe and fair opportunities for women, including single-sex housing for any woman, defined on the basis of sex, who requests such accommodations and all-female sports, locker rooms, and showering facilities.”

The Northwestern payment is the second largest behind Columbia, which agreed in July to pay $200 million to end a series of investigations. Brown and Cornell universities have also reached agreements with the administration.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon told the wire service that the agreement establishes policy changes that will protect people on campus from harassment and discrimination.

“The reforms reflect bold leadership at Northwestern and they are a roadmap for institutional leaders around the country that will help rebuild public trust in our colleges and universities,” McMahon said.

Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.