Harvard Faculty Pledge to Donate 10% of Salaries to Support University Amid Funding Crisis

More than 80 Harvard faculty members, including prominent professors such as Dani Rodrik and Theda R. Skocpol, have pledged to donate 10% of their salaries for up to a year to support the University in its resistance against the Trump administration's attempts to exact concessions and freeze billions in federal funding. The group is still collecting pledges, but faculty members' commitments currently amount to more than $2 million, according to Government professor Ryan D. Enos. The faculty sent a letter outlining their planned donation to University President Alan M. Garber '76, stating that if they are asking the University administration to resist the Trump administration's attacks on academic freedom, they should also be willing to share in the financial sacrifice that will be necessary.

Key Takeaways:

• Over 80 Harvard faculty members have pledged to donate 10% of their salaries for up to a year to support the University amid the federal funding crisis.
• The pledges, which currently amount to more than $2 million, were made in response to the Trump administration's attempts to exact concessions and freeze billions in federal funding.
• Faculty members have not yet determined how the donations will be made or used, but have voted to support staff, students, and academic programs.
• The move is seen as a significant gesture of support for Harvard's decision to resist the White House's actions, including through a lawsuit filed last week over the $2.2 billion cut.
• The faculty members acknowledge that the donations will not plug the multibillion dollar hole in Harvard's budget, but aim to signal their strong support for the University.
• Professors such as Dani Rodrik and Theda R. Skocpol have pledged significant amounts, with Skocpol stating that her donation is "significant money" for her and her husband.
• The faculty members are motivated to support Harvard in its efforts to defend "basic constitutional rights" and against what they see as "Stalinist" actions by the Trump administration.

Statistics:

• Over 80 Harvard faculty members have pledged to donate 10% of their salaries for up to a year.
• The pledges currently amount to more than $2 million.
• The Trump administration has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard.
• An additional $1 billion in federal funding was frozen on April 21 after Harvard publicly rejected the White House's sweeping demands for policy changes.
• The faculty members' donations represent a significant gesture of support, but acknowledge that they will not plug the multibillion dollar hole in Harvard's budget.

Sources:

• "Harvard Faculty Pledge to Donate 10% of Salaries to Support University Amid Funding Crisis" by William C. Mao and Veronica H. Paulus, The Crimson, April 28, 2023.
• Letter from Harvard faculty to University President Alan M. Garber '76, April 27, 2023.