At Summit With Donors, Top Administrators Said Harvard Would Pick Its Public Battles in Washington

Harvard Provost John F. Manning ’82 and Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra told alumni donors at a Feb. 28 talk that Harvard would sometimes be willing to take the lead in challenging orders from Washington — but was also content to strategically take the back seat.

Manning and Hoekstra’s brief remarks came during separate fireside chats and a question-and-answer session at the annual Women’s Philanthropy Summit, a convening of top female Harvard donors with a series of talks and networking sessions. Details of the talks were shared with The Crimson by eight attendees.

The two administrators cautioned that while it was important for Harvard to be active in addressing President Donald Trump’s policies, it should sometimes work behind the scenes to launch efforts alongside peer institutions, rather than leading the charge on its own.

Hoesktra and Manning’s remarks last month came as Harvard watched the skies for new developments in Trump’s campaign to revoke funding for universities accused of tolerating antisemitism. Now, the storm Harvard was expecting seems to be here.

In the weeks since the talk, the White House cut $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University and warned Harvard it could face penalties for violations of Jewish students’ civil rights.

And on Monday, Harvard froze faculty and staff hiring, attributing the pause to “substantial financial uncertainties driven by rapidly shifting federal policies.” The freeze comes after Harvard distributed guidance to each of its 13 schools urging them to cut costs and search for new sources of revenue.

As Harvard adapts internally to an increasingly dire situation, Hoekstra’s and Manning’s remarks last month provide a roadmap for how Harvard may fight funding cuts — in public and in quiet conversations with its peer universities.

Manning “said that there are a lot of things that Harvard is involved in, and it won’t always be out in front,” said Nicole A. Konzelmann ’99, who attended the talk. “And I think what he meant was, there's some times when it’s going to be good for Harvard to be mentioned, and some times when it’s not as helpful to everyone.”

So far, Harvard has taken the second approach. In February, 13 universities sued to block the Trump administration’s order to limit funding for indirect costs tied to research projects. Harvard didn’t join the suit, but Vice Provost of Research John H. Shaw quietly submitted a declaration attesting to the order’s impacts on Harvard.

Sonam S. Velani ’09, who attended the talk, said both Hoekstra and Manning discussed “how you actually engage your peer institutions in some of these challenging times, and the advocacy work that is required — not just by Harvard but across the higher ed ecosystem.”

Velani, a former Crimson News editor, added that Hoekstra told attendees that Harvard had already begun to work with other universities to assess orders coming from Washington.

While Hoekstra did not understate the challenge the Trump administration would pose to the University, she was confident in Harvard’s ability to navigate changing guidelines, according to Rebecca D. Posten ’95, who listened to Hoekstra’s remarks.

In her opening address — which focused on her journey into the life sciences — Hoekstra said Harvard was considering supporting researchers whose projects were put in limbo by federal cuts through bridge funding, grants typically awarded to projects that lost external support.

But such plans may be merely a stopgap measure if Harvard faces larger cuts. During a monthly meeting with FAS faculty members on March 4, Hoekstra told FAS officials to “prepare for significant financial challenges” and “build financial capacity.”

Manning detailed Harvard’s efforts to promote civil discourse on campus, a goal he said he would achieve by leveraging his past experience serving as dean of the Harvard Law School, according to six attendees.

“He was really highlighting the current academic challenges, but also the high priorities around maintenance of research, of civil discourse, of continuing to promote a culture where people feel comfortable as scholars, viewing their opinions and being supported,” Naheed R. Abbasi ’96 said.

In his hour-long question-and-answer talk with attendees, Manning endorsed the Chatham House Rule, which would allow people to share information about a discussion without directly identifying the speaker. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences overwhelmingly approved the adoption of the rule during their March meeting.

Manning also discussed the decentralization of schools at Harvard, saying he hoped to launch inter-school initiatives to unify units of the University that he felt were often disconnected.

“He talked about trying to bring together the schools a little bit more from the perspective of a cross-pollination of ideas and and support of one another,” Abbasi said.

Three other Harvard affiliates spoke at the conference, including History of Art and Architecture professor Jennifer L. Roberts, Psychology professor Leah H. Somerville, and Economics professor and Nobel Prize winner Claudia D. Goldin.

Several attendees said the summit was an important opportunity for alumni to hear directly from the University’s top brass.

“It's good to hear straight from their mouths what’s going on on campus,” said event attendee Roshini C. Rajapaksa ’93. “It’s good to really hear the truth.”

Lauren E. Bonner ’04, who attended the event, said that listening to Hoekstra’s remarks helped reassure her that the University was heading in the right direction.

“Harvard’s been through a really tumultuous couple of years, and hearing from Dean Hoekstra really renewed my faith in the institution and just gave me a lot of confidence that Harvard’s going to be led with thoughtfulness — with a data-driven, scientific approach, just a balanced mentality,” she said.

—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.