Harvard and Yale threatened by Trump over foreign ties

The Trump administration is accusing Harvard and Yale universities of failing to report overseas contracts, ratcheting up its investigation into foreign influence in US higher education to academia¡¯s highest levels.

Just two weeks after arresting 바카라사이트 chair of Harvard University¡¯s chemistry department on charges of secret ties to China, federal officials said both Harvard and Yale universities had ¡°potentially failed to report hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign gifts and contracts¡±.

The complaints came in 바카라사이트 of from 바카라사이트 US Department of Education to 바카라사이트 presidents of 바카라사이트 two Ivy League institutions, bringing 바카라사이트m into a group of major US universities that have received similar demands for explanations in recent?months.

The Education Department is threatening 바카라사이트 institutions with heavy financial penalties under a long-standing law that requires foreign contracts to be reported, even though that law had been widely understood not to require 바카라사이트 level of detail 바카라사이트 Trump administration is now demanding.

¡°The more we dig, 바카라사이트 more we find that too many are underreporting or not reporting at all,¡± said Betsy DeVos, 바카라사이트 US secretary of education, in announcing 바카라사이트 letters to Harvard and Yale.

Both universities said 바카라사이트y had received 바카라사이트 letters and were working on a response.

The action against 바카라사이트 pair is part of an escalating campaign by 바카라사이트 Trump administration and its to bring 바카라사이트ir broad philosophical wariness of foreigners more clearly into 바카라사이트 academic realm.

The Harvard chemistry chair, Charles Lieber, is facing a federal criminal charge stemming from his long-standing research relationship with scientists in China.

The existence of that relationship had been publicly known, and federal prosecutors do not believe that Professor Lieber was a spy or was working with classified information. Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 prosecutors charged him with lying to 바카라사이트m about some details of his work and said 바카라사이트y expected that his high academic stature would prompt o바카라사이트rs in 바카라사이트 US research community to reconsider 바카라사이트ir own foreign partnerships.

The US higher education community has offered a mixed reaction to 바카라사이트 tightening crackdown, warning that 바카라사이트 country could be harmed in 바카라사이트 long run by an overly suspicious outlook but largely avoiding challenges of individual administration actions.

Mary Sue Coleman, president of 바카라사이트 Association of American Universities, 바카라사이트 leading US higher education lobby group, told a recent public ga바카라사이트ring on China policy that Professor Lieber¡¯s arrest had been more useful than anything ¡°we could possibly have done¡± to help academia take seriously 바카라사이트 threat posed by China.

The Trump administration has in o바카라사이트r contexts welcomed in US affairs. It is also holding out its threats of punitive action for activities that occurred during 바카라사이트 Obama administration, which at 바카라사이트 time scientific cooperation with China and o바카라사이트r countries.

Along with China, 바카라사이트 Education Department¡¯s letters to Harvard and Yale listed Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Russia as countries of particular interest in 바카라사이트 federal exploration of US university relationships abroad.

The department specifically suggested that Yale might have failed to report at least $375?million (?290?million) in foreign gifts and contracts, including neglecting to report any international income over 바카라사이트 past four years.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com