Topline
Northwestern University president Michael Schill will step down from his role, according to a Thursday statement, announcing his resignation as the school navigates a $790 million federal funding freeze initiated by the Trump administration over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests last year.
Schill announced his resignation Thursday afternoon. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
TNS
Key Facts
Schill said he consulted with Northwestern’s board of trustees about the decision to step down, noting he will remain in his role until an interim president is appointed, then go on a sabbatical and return to the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law to teach.
Northwestern is negotiating with the Trump administration for the restoration of its federal funding, though faculty members have called on the university’s leaders to “resist the administration’s attack on fundamental democratic principles,” claiming the government “is skirting legal processes and demanding what amounts to ransom from universities.”
While it is unclear if Northwestern will reach a settlement with the Trump administration, other educational institutions like Columbia and Brown have already done so.
Schill didn’t directly mention Northwestern’s negotiations with the Trump administration in his statement, though he noted “difficult problems remain” at the federal level and added, “It is critical that we continue to protect the University’s research mission and excellence while preserving academic freedom, integrity, and independence.”
Northwestern University said in a statement an interim president will be named “soon.”
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Tangent
Harvard University scored a legal win Thursday, when District Judge Allison Burroughs ordered the Trump administration to restore $2.2 billion in frozen federal funding. Burroughs said the government used antisemitism allegations “as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities” that violated the First Amendment. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the order.
Key Background
The Trump administration announced antisemitism investigations into dozens of colleges in March, several months after a wave of pro-Palestinian protests were held at universities nationwide in 2024. The administration threatened “potential enforcement actions” against the universities and eventually suspended funding for institutions like Northwestern, Columbia, Brown, Cornell University and the University of California Los Angeles. Columbia and Brown reached multimillion-dollar settlements with the Trump administration to restore their funding and agreed to some demands made by the government that impacted admissions, educational programming and protest and security policies. Harvard remains the only school to successfully fight back against the government, which has also unsuccessfully tried to ban the university from enrolling international students. Harvard is reportedly negotiating a $500 million settlement with the Trump administration to restore funding, though it is unclear how Burroughs’ ruling against the frozen funds may impact talks.
Further Reading
Trump Administration’s $2.2 Billion Harvard Funding Freeze Ruled Unconstitutional (Forbes)
Trump Administration Investigates These 60 Colleges Over Antisemitism Allegations (Forbes)
Trump Pursues Record $1 Billion Settlement From UCLA Over Antisemitism Claims (Forbes)
