Columbia University announced on Tuesday that it will lay off nearly 180 staff members after President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke $400 million in federal funding. The funding cut was reportedly made in response to the university’s handling of student protests against the Gaza conflict.
The university stated that the layoffs represent about 20% of employees whose roles were funded by the now-terminated federal grants.
“We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,” the statement said. “Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.”
A university spokesperson, Jessica Murphy, declined to speculate on whether more layoffs were forthcoming but confirmed that the institution is taking steps to improve financial flexibility. These measures include maintaining current salary levels and offering voluntary retirement incentives.
Additionally, the university plans to scale back certain research activities, with some departments winding down specific studies, while others will continue with limited operations as they seek alternative funding.
Research projects affected include the development of an antiviral nasal spray for infectious diseases, studies on maternal mortality and morbidity, chronic condition treatments like those for long COVID, care for newborns with opioid withdrawal syndrome, and colorectal cancer screenings.
(AP/NAN)