The Trump-Bondi Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached an agreement with Cornell University to unfreeze federal funds in exchange for significant reforms at the institution. The agreement includes a substantial investment in agricultural research and financial payouts to the federal government. Additionally, Cornell will be required to provide all employees with guidelines prohibiting discrimination related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
“The Trump Administration has secured another transformative commitment from an Ivy League institution to end divisive DEI policies,” declared U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a press release on Friday. “Thanks to this deal with Cornell and the ongoing work of DOJ, HHS, and the team at ED, U.S. universities are refocusing their attention on merit, rigor, and truth-seeking—not ideology. These reforms are a huge win in the fight to restore excellence to American higher education and make our schools the greatest in the world.”
As part of the agreement, Cornell University will invest $30 million through 2028 in research programs related to agriculture and farming. According to the DOJ press release, this investment will support American farmers by helping reduce production costs and increase efficiency. Additionally, Cornell will pay $30 million to the United States over the next three years.
The university has agreed to provide the Department of Justice’s “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination” as a training resource for faculty and staff. Cornell will also conduct annual surveys to evaluate the campus climate for students and comply with lawful requests from the United States related to foreign funding sources.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is also involved in the agreement. “The Trump Administration is actively dismantling the ability of elite universities to discriminate based on race or religion,” stated HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “The DOJ’s agreement with Cornell strengthens protections for students against antisemitism and all other forms of discrimination.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ Civil Rights Division celebrated the deal as a victory for fairness and civil rights. “As a result of securing this groundbreaking settlement between the United States and Cornell, applicants and students will receive fair and equal treatment as required by our civil rights laws, and American farmers will have expanded opportunity for agricultural development and productivity,” said Dhillon.
She added, “The Cornell agreement exhibits this administration’s deep commitment to vigilantly enforce our federal civil rights laws on college campuses and ensure that American universities manage taxpayer dollars responsibly.”
Cornell had faced significant cutbacks in hiring and budgeting in August amid the loss of federal funding, as the university delayed implementing required reforms. In October, the university’s student newspaper sparked controversy by publishing a professor’s artwork containing Nazi imagery.
It appears that since then, Cornell has recognized the need to prioritize federal funding over controversial ideologies. One hopes the university will now uphold its commitments under this agreement.
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