Harvard University President Alan Garber will take a voluntary 25% salary reduction as the institution grapples with significant cuts to federal funding under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to U.S. media reports on Thursday, citing the university, the pay cut will take effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1. Harvard presidents typically earn over $1 million annually.
University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain confirmed that several other senior Harvard officials had also agreed to adjustments in their compensation in response to the financial strain.
The decision comes as the Trump administration intensifies its scrutiny of elite universities, accusing them of fostering a left-leaning ideology and resisting new federal directives related to diversity, admissions, campus policies, and hiring practices.
Harvard has pushed back against many of these measures, mounting legal challenges and defending its institutional autonomy. The standoff has led to substantial financial consequences.
According to the U.S. government’s Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism, federal agencies plan to cut an additional $450 million in grants to the university. This comes on top of an existing $2.2 billion freeze in multi-year federal funding, reportedly linked to claims that Harvard has not done enough to respond to anti-Semitism on campus.
President Garber has firmly denied the allegations, stating that the university has already taken concrete steps to address the issue. He also raised concerns about government overreach.
“The administration is infringing on the constitutional freedoms of private institutions,” Garber warned, defending Harvard’s actions and its right to self-governance.
