Harvard seeks assurances as talks resume in Washington

As negotiations between Harvard University and the Trump administration resume Thursday in Washington over the president’s sweeping efforts to bring the nation’s oldest university into line, the school’s new negotiator, billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman, faces a new challenge amid the government’s growing demands on higher education.

Last week, President Trump made a surprise announcement that Harvard and the government were close to reaching a deal that would allow the university to continue receiving billions in research funding. But a day later, his administration sent letters to nine universities asking campus leaders to adopt a plan that would align the Trump administration’s policy agenda with preferred access to federal research funds.

Harvard officials have since discussed internally the possibility of seeking additional assurances from the administration that the university will not face new demands once an agreement is signed, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Administration officials said the letters to campuses were attempts to solicit feedback and not ultimatums. Nonetheless, these requests worried Harvard leaders, because three of the schools had either reached agreements with the administration or were in negotiations.

The White House has led investigations and funding cuts to try to force Harvard to adopt more conservative values, including stricter definitions of gender, greater government access to student admissions data, and more rigorous codes of conduct for students.

For Harvard leaders, last week’s abrupt introduction of the proposal to other schools highlighted one of their most pressing questions about the value of striking a deal with the Trump White House. Why spend so much time, money and political capital to reach a deal with Mr. Trump, some ask, if his administration will come back months later for more?