In a major blow to university research, Columbia University announced on Tuesday it is laying off 180 staff whose jobs were financed by federal grants which were similarly pulled by the Trump administration. The cuts are a result of a March withdrawal of $400 million and are part of the administration’s broader action against Columbia for “inaction in the face of continued harassment of Jewish students.”

The administration also made a list of demands that Columbia must satisfy to start talking about reinstating the grants. These included a ban on masks during protests, the appointment of a new senior vice provost to oversee the Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies and the hiring of campus security which would have full arrest powers.

Why Were the Layoffs Necessary?

In a letter signed by acting President Claire Shipman and Provost Angela V. Olinto, Columbia explained crucial dual activities pursuing government partnerships restoration, while making immediate financial adjustments. In the letter, the university stressed its focus on its research mission and noted the intense pressure it faced from the loss of its federal funding partners.

The 180 terminated staff members which were notified Tuesday, represent 20% of those who were funded by the now terminated grants. The layoffs are part of larger institutional cut-backs, as some departments continue to wind down their activity and research infrastructure activities are operating at reduced capacity.

“We don’t make these decisions easily,” commented leaders at the university. “At Columbia we take the vital nature of the work of invention, innovation and discovery seriously.”

Columbia is still seeking opportunities to negotiate the return of the grants with federal agencies. It is fully preparing for the best and worst outcomes, while making sense of losing one of its largest sources of research funding.