Media: Top US universities suspend hiring in response to potential research funding cuts

At least two Ivy League universities have unexpectedly suspended faculty hiring in the US as of March 10, citing concerns over potential cuts to research funding due to the Trump administration’s budget proposals. 

Both Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania informed their staff and students of the immediate hiring freezes, which are part of broader efforts to manage financial risks, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

Harvard University President Alan M. Garber explained in a memo that the institution needed to limit long-term financial commitments that could increase financial exposure. 

“We need to prepare for a wide range of financial circumstances, and strategic adjustments will take time to identify and implement,” Garber wrote to university staff, announcing the temporary halt on hiring. These hiring freezes come as some of the nation’s top universities brace for potential cuts in research funding.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a key source of biomedical research funding and the largest public funding body of its kind globally, revealed last month that it planned to reduce its federal grants in a bid to save $4 billion. The NIH’s plans include limiting the amount it pays for indirect research costs, such as utilities and administrative staff, at universities and research institutions. 

This announcement has led to multiple lawsuits, and a federal judge has temporarily blocked the policy. The University of Pennsylvania, facing an estimated $240 million reduction in NIH research funding, expressed concern about how these cuts would affect its budget. “Changes to federal research funding could significantly reduce our operating budget,” wrote John L. Jackson Jr., the university’s provost, to faculty. He further noted that ongoing policy changes under review in Congress, including possible reductions in student loan programs and an increase in the excise tax on university endowments, could further strain the institution's finances. 

Other well-known academic institutions, including the University of Notre Dame and the University of Vermont, have also implemented hiring freezes, citing uncertainty surrounding federal government actions. “As we seek to understand the executive orders, federal agency directives and other policy changes announced over the past several weeks, our decision-making will continue to be guided by our mission as a global Catholic research university,” said Erin Blasko, a spokesperson for Notre Dame. The University of Vermont indicated that it would reevaluate its hiring freeze in 60 days.

In a separate development, the Trump administration announced last week that it would cancel approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, citing the school’s failure to address ongoing harassment of Jewish students. This decision follows an announcement from the administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, which revealed plans to review the university's federal grants and contracts. A spokesperson for Columbia University responded, reaffirming the institution’s commitment to combating antisemitism.

By Naila Huseynova