In an extraordinary move, Linda McMahon has granted states—starting with Connecticut—a full waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Act. She sent a letter to Dr. Alan Garber, the president of Harvard University, accusing the school of various illegal and discriminatory practices and threatening to withhold federal grant funding until her demands are met. McMahon’s letter, which she shared on social media, outlines a series of grievances that reflect her discontent with Harvard’s policies and its approach to education.
Unfortunately, McMahon’s letter provides an exaggerated and misleading indictment of Harvard. It dives deep, from the university’s admissions policies to its curriculum offerings. Among her claims, she charged the university with “egregious racism” for its attempts to diversify its student body. To do this, she pulled a sharp focus on the university’s admission practices. She recommended that students with particular backgrounds be investigated and presumed to hold hatred for the United States.
The letter further targeted Penny Pritzker, another important member of Harvard’s governing board. It mentioned Bill Ackman as well, a Harvard graduate famous for his backing of Donald Trump. McMahon emphasized that Harvard has a significant financial advantage, stating, “You have an approximately $53bn head start,” implying that the university should be held to a higher standard given its resources.
Additionally, McMahon himself expressed outrage at the promotion of a “remedial math” course at Harvard. He says this case is indicative of bigger issues within the university. Her claim was that the Harvard Law Review racially discriminates against white authors. She denounced the new fellowships announced by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In her letter, McMahon took particular aim at former New York mayor Bill de Blasio. She went after former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot just as mercilessly. She labeled them “perhaps the worst mayors ever to preside over major cities in our country’s history,” suggesting their leadership styles reflect poorly on educational institutions like Harvard that operate in major urban centers.
Notably, in addition to this overarching discriminatory language, McMahon’s letter included explicitly anti-foreign student language concerning Harvard. She argued that the university has hosted people who engage in or promote violent protest and people who hate America. “Harvard University has made a mockery of this country’s higher education system,” she stated, underlining her belief that such admissions policies threaten the integrity of American education.
The Education Secretary’s incendiary comments have already fueled calls to end all federal funding for elite universities. Her big threat was that if Harvard continues to resist and not meet all her demands, the university will be forced to adopt a privately-funded alternative. “Harvard will cease to be a publicly funded institution and can instead operate as a privately-funded institution,” she asserted.
McMahon’s letter concluded with an alarming comparison. She likened Dr. Garber’s leadership to “the captain of the Titanic” training navigators. That positions him as the wrong choice to begin to guide such a venerable institution through perhaps its most volatile period.
Harvard University responded to McMahon’s criticisms with caution, emphasizing the potential “real-life consequences for patients, students, faculty, staff, and researchers” when educational funding becomes politicized.