The Trump administration on Wednesday increased pressure on Harvard University with subpoenas for student data and a challenge to its accreditation, signaling that a possible resolution to its acrimonious dispute with the nation’s oldest and most powerful college remained uncertain.
The two sides have exchanged offers since last month, when they started exploring a potential deal over the federal government’s role in admissions, hiring and curriculum, according to two people who requested anonymity to describe private talks.
The details of those offers were unclear, but Wednesday’s moves from the Trump administration suggested that the government has been dissatisfied with Harvard’s proposals.
The Department of Homeland Security issued administrative subpoenas seeking data about the university’s international students. Separately, the Education and Health and Human Services Departments opened a challenge to Harvard’s accreditation based on the administration’s finding that the university violated federal civil rights law by not adequately addressing what it said was the harassment of Jewish people on campus.
The administration itself cannot revoke accreditation, which is essential for students to be eligible for federal student aid programs, such as Pell Grants. But the administration told Harvard’s accreditor, the New England Commission of Higher Education, that it believed the university might be out of compliance with its standards.
“By allowing antisemitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators and American taxpayers,” Linda McMahon, the education secretary, said in a statement. “The Department of Education expects the New England Commission of Higher Education to enforce its policies and practices, and to keep the department fully informed of its efforts to ensure that Harvard is in compliance with federal law and accreditor standards.”
In statements on Wednesday, Harvard described the subpoenas as “unwarranted” and rejected the administration’s civil rights accusations. The university said that it was “far from indifferent” to antisemitism and that it “continues to comply” with accreditation standards. It noted that its accreditation had been uninterrupted since 1929, when it was first reviewed.
The administration laid the groundwork for the accreditation notification last week, when it accused Harvard of breaking federal law that bars discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin. In recent years, government officials have interpreted the provision to include “shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics” as within the law’s protections.
Asked for comment on Wednesday, the president of the New England Commission of Higher Education, Lawrence M. Schall, referred to a previously issued explanation in which the commission said that it would “give appropriate consideration to significant accreditation-related information revealed about an institution between periods of scheduled review.”
The commission said that its policies and procedures “give institutions up to four years to come into compliance when found by the commission to be out of compliance, which can be extended for good cause.”
A school that is not in compliance, the commission noted, remains accredited during that window.
But Mr. Trump’s allies view the accreditation system as a potentially powerful tool in the administration’s crusade to upend higher education. Mr. Trump has described accreditation as a “secret weapon.” In April, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to “promptly” inform accreditors about any schools his administration determines are in violation of civil rights law.
Last month, the administration notified Columbia University’s accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, that it believed the school had violated the civil rights of Jewish students. The commission issued a “noncompliance warning,” but Columbia may have years to regain good standing before losing its accreditation.
Harvard and Columbia have been among the administration’s leading targets in recent months. In April, Harvard rejected a list of what it viewed as intrusive demands by the Trump administration — a decision that led the government to strip billions of dollars from the university, and to the university suing.
That case, which accused the Trump administration of violating Harvard’s constitutional and procedural rights, is pending. Another hearing in the matter is scheduled for July 21 in Boston.
The same judge who will preside over that hearing previously blocked, in a separate case, an administration effort to keep Harvard from enrolling international students amid a dispute about what information the school must share with federal officials.
The administration’s subpoenas on Wednesday, which the government said demanded “relevant records, communications and other documents relevant to the enforcement of immigration laws since Jan. 1, 2020,” were connected to that clash.
Kristi Noem, the homeland security security, said in a post on social media that “if Harvard won’t defend the interests of its students, then we will.”
“We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard,” Ms. Noem wrote. “Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way.”
Harvard said in one of its statements Wednesday that it was “committed to following the law” and that it would “continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations.”
“Harvard,” the university said, “remains unwavering in its efforts to protect its community and its core principles against unfounded retribution by the federal government.”
But the Department of Homeland Security depicted its fight with Harvard as a warning for others.
“Other universities and academic institutions that are asked to submit similar information should take note of Harvard’s actions, and the repercussions, when considering whether or not to comply with similar requests,” the department said in a statement.
Sharon Otterman contributed reporting.
Alan Blinder is a national correspondent for The Times, covering education.
Michael C. Bender is a Times correspondent in Washington.
The post Trump Administration Renews Attacks on Harvard With Negotiations Uncertain appeared first on New York Times.