"The letter landed with a thud on Saturday in the inbox of Harvard University's president, Alan M. Garber. The message, from Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's education secretary, conveyed an understanding of an emerging deal between Harvard and the White House that flew in the face of the terms the university had been insisting on. Garber felt he had made clear in recent negotiations that the university would not agree to pay the federal government to settle a monthslong battle"
"It was unclear whether McMahon's interpretation of Harvard's proposal resulted from a miscommunication or from a deliberate effort to force the university into a year-end deal after months of faltering negotiations. Whatever the case, it was the latest twist in the long-running dispute between Harvard and the Trump administration, which has shaped up to be the marquee battle in the administration's effort to exert more influence over elite colleges and universities it views as too liberal."
Harvard became a target of the White House, portrayed as an incubator of liberalism that violated the civil rights of white and Jewish people. A letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon mischaracterized Harvard's position, thanking the university for a purported commitment to send $200 million to the government. Harvard's president clarified that the university would not agree to pay to settle a months-long dispute over antisemitism and other issues. The administration responded by proposing far-reaching terms seen as nonstarters. The episode reflected broader efforts by administration actors to extract concessions and preserve the leverage of government threats against elite universities.
Read at Boston.com
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