Billionaire halts donations to Columbia, says leaders’ actions ‘antithetical to the University’s mission’
Another Ivy League school just lost a major donor due to concerns about its leaders’ actions regarding antisemitism.
Billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman, who is Jewish, decided to stop supporting Columbia University after lengthy discussions failed to allay his concerns, the Washington Free Beacon reports.
Among other things, the New York university is facing criticism for not firing four deans who were caught mocking a campus panel on antisemitism. It also canceled graduation in the spring due to virulent anti-Israel protests.
“The recent decisions and actions taken by Columbia have been antithetical to the University’s mission …” a spokeswoman for Zuckerman told the Free Beacon. “We will continue to evaluate the situation in the hope that Columbia will restore its reputation, standing and mission as a respected educational institution.”
In 2012, Zuckerman (pictured) promised to donate $200 million to Columbia for an endowment on interdisciplinary neuroscience research, according to information on the university’s website. He owns U.S. News & World Report and founded the real estate company Boston Properties.
But his spokeswoman said the university has changed since then.
The Free Beacon reports more:
Zuckerman’s 2012 endowment was one of the largest gifts in Columbia’s history. The $200 million donation led to the creation of the Mind Brain Behavior Institute “to support interdisciplinary neuroscience research and discovery by scholars across the University,” according to Columbia. The billionaire serves as the chairman of the institute’s voluntary board of advisers.
Of the $200 million endowment to Columbia, a significant minority percentage has already been given to the school, according to the Zuckerman Family Office spokeswoman.
It is unclear if the pause in funding will affect the Mind Brain Behavior Institute. Columbia did not respond to a request for comment.
Columbia and other Ivy League universities have faced wide-spread criticism from alumni, lawmakers, students, and donors for their handling of antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Major donors pulled funding from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania last year, angered by top administrators’ responses to the slaughter, rape, and kidnapping of Israeli civilians.
Later, anti-Israel protests rocked campuses, leading to hundreds of arrests and, at some universities, massive vandalism and debris. Meanwhile, Jewish students reported being threatened, harassed, blocked from attending classes – and, in one case, having a dorm room door set on fire.
A number of Ivy League institutions also are facing lawsuits from Jewish students alleging failed protections.
MORE: Penn loses $100M donation after president says calls for Jewish genocide not always harassment
IMAGE: BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace/Instagram, Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute
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