The U.S. Department of Education announced on June 4 that Columbia University (Columbia University, referred to as Columbia) violated federal civil rights laws and therefore failed to meet accreditation standards. The university has been accused of widespread discrimination against Jewish students on campus.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated in a release that on October 7, 2023, following the Hamas attack on Israel, the university leadership “showed deliberate indifference to the harassment of Jewish students on campus.” She emphasized that accrediting bodies are the “gatekeepers” of federal student aid and hold a significant public responsibility in determining which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants, thus ensuring that member institutions comply with their standards, “just as the Department of Education has a duty to uphold federal anti-discrimination laws.”
The Department of Education found that Columbia failed to effectively protect students during pro-Palestinian protests, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The Education Department has notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the accrediting body associated with the university, about this issue. The department’s statement mentioned that “if a university fails to restore compliance within the specified timeframe, accrediting bodies must take appropriate action against their member institutions.”
According to Columbia’s website data, approximately 21% of undergraduate students at Columbia College and Columbia Engineering receive Pell Grants. Losing access to federal student loans could increase the cost of education financing for many students, and federally-supported work-study programs may also face threats.
Since the U.S. Department of Education withdrew approximately $400 million in federal funding and contracts in March, Secretary McMahon has been in communication with Columbia University President Claire Shipman, but the university has not changed its policies. Instead, citing reduced federal funding, Columbia announced the layoff of nearly 180 employees.
Although the Education Department does not have the authority to directly revoke a school’s accreditation, this power lies with the accrediting body MSCHE. MSCHE is a non-governmental organization responsible for accrediting higher education institutions. However, the federal government has the power to revoke the authority of an accrediting body to judge the educational quality of higher education institutions, indirectly blocking federal funds from flowing to member schools of that accrediting body.
President Trump signed an executive order in April requiring the Department of Education to review accrediting bodies and warning that if schools accredited by accrediting bodies fail to meet certain standards, the accrediting body’s own accreditation authority could be revoked. He clearly does not want to see Columbia repeat the missteps of Harvard. Last Friday, he stated, “I think Columbia University really wants to get to the bottom of the problem, they are handling it well, and other universities are taking actions, only Harvard is acting like a big shot.”
(Reference: Bloomberg News)