CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard University is holding its commencement Thursday at a pivotal moment, when its place as one of the world’s leading higher education institutions is under what increasingly seems like existential threats from the Trump administration.
Other schools face the loss of federal funding and their ability to enroll international students if they don’t agree to the Trump administration’s shifting demands. But Harvard, which was founded more than a century before the nation itself, is taking the lead on defying the White House in court — and paying a significant price.
The Trump administration has demanded that Harvard make broad leadership changes, revise its admissions policies and audit its faculty and student body to ensure the campus is home to many viewpoints.
Dr. Abraham Verghese, the bestselling author and Stanford University expert on infectious diseases, will be the principal speaker at Harvard’s 374th commencement. On Wednesday, basketball Hall of Famer and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the “Class Day” speaker, and journalist Christiane Amanpour addressed graduates of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Both praised Harvard for standing up to the Trump administration, with Abdul-Jabbar specifically calling out the actions of Harvard President Alan Garber.
“When a tyrannical administration tried to bully and threaten Harvard, to revoke their academic freedom and to destroy free speech, Dr. Alan Garber rejected the illegal and immoral pressures,” Abdul-Jabbar said to wide applause as he compared Garber’s response to Rosa Parks’ stand against racist segregation.
“After seeing so many cowering billionaires, media moguls, law firms, politicians and other universities bend their knee to an administration that is systematically strip-mining the U.S. Constitution, it is inspiring to me to see Harvard University take a stand for freedom,” he continued.
In response to the administration’s threats, Harvard has sued to block the funding freeze and persuaded a federal judge to temporarily halt the enrollment ban. It is going to court in Boston on Thursday just as the commencement is wrapping up, hoping for a ruling that allows it to continue enrolling international students.
“We believe that the government overreach and devastating attacks on scientific and medical research are unwarranted and unlawful, and so we have taken legal action to defend the institution,” Garber said in an interview with a university publication.
This year, the anti-war demonstrations have largely faded from view, but protesters held a silent vigil a few hours before Thursday’s ceremony. Holding signs that read “Ceasefire Now” and “Not Another Bomb,” protesters stood silently along the walls of Harvard.
Among those who came out was Carole Rein, a Harvard graduate from Beverly, Massachusetts, who has been an activist for 50 years and wants the university to speak out against the Gaza situation.
“As a U.S. citizen, my money is supporting the genocide that’s happening in Gaza and I’ve got to stand out against it,” Rein said. “I have to stand out against it, and there’s many of us who are standing out against it.”
