Layoffs begin amid ‘budget crisis’ at Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health
The Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health is facing a "significant budget crisis" resulting in layoffs and the non-renewal of two building leases, according to the institution.
The budget crisis is due to federal funding freezes, terminations of research grants and threats to international student enrollment, according to spokesperson Stephanie Simon.
"School leadership is working with department chairs and administrative directors to identify strategic priorities and make sustainable budget cuts. We are working to minimize the impact on our outstanding workforce while protecting the heart of our research and educational missions," Simon said.
Simon declined to elaborate about how many layoffs have occurred or when they began.
However, she stated that the layoffs are primarily a result of existing grants being terminated or having new grant applications or renewals stuck in limbo for extended periods because of slowdowns at the National Institutes of Health .
Federal funding makes up 46% of Harvard Chan School's budget, she said.
The public health school has received three stop-work orders and anticipates more, according to Simon. The faculty has also had 19 grants terminated over the past few months from NIH, USAID, Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
The research projects include a $60 million contract for tuberculosis research and smaller grants to support research on breast cancer tumor sequencing and the relationship between coffee intake and cancer.
The difficulties at Harvard come after the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard detailing a list of demands the institution would have to comply with to avoid having its $9 billion in federal funding to the school and its affiliates cancelled.
The institution refused to comply this week, resulting in the U.S. Department of Education stating that it would immediately freeze "$2.2 billion in multi-year grant and $60 million in multi-year contract value" to the school.
Simon said the layoffs at the public health school are due to federal funding freezes unrelated to the freeze announced this week.
The government has also threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and the Department of Homeland Security is requiring the institution to submit detailed records of foreign students' visa holders' "illegal and violent activities" before the end of the month or face the immediate loss of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification.
If Harvard doesn't comply, the university will "lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students," according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Forty percent of the student body is international at Harvard.
