Columbia loses millions of promised dollars due to failure to fight anti-Semitism
‘The recent decisions and actions taken by Columbia have been antithetical to the University's mission and it is simply not the same institution it was when Mr. Zuckerman made the pledge,’ a spokesperson said
‘I understand Zuckerman’s decision to cut off donations from Columbia University. The administration’s response to widespread antisemitism has been inadequate,’ a student said.
Billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman suspended millions of dollars in a planned donation to Columbia University, stating his disappointment with the Ivy League institution’s failure to combat anti-Semitism on campus.
Zuckerman, owner of U.S. News & World Report, bestowed on Columbia a $200 million endowment in 2012. At the time, Columbia Magazine announced that the endowment was “one of the largest gifts in [Columbia’s] history.”
Though Columbia has already used a portion of the $200 million amount, Zuckerman has stopped further funding from the endowment.
A spokesperson from the Zuckerman Family Office told The Washington Free Beacon: “The recent decisions and actions taken by Columbia have been antithetical to the University’s mission and it is simply not the same institution it was when Mr. Zuckerman made the pledge.”
[RELATED: Donor pulls $100 million from Penn, says he may reconsider if Magill is replaced]
“We will continue to evaluate the situation in the hope that Columbia will restore its reputation, standing and mission as a respected educational institution,” the spokesperson continued.
The spokesperson also told the Free Beacon that Zuckerman had communicated with the university about his concerns regarding anti-Semitism on Columbia’s campus, and that Columbia replied by asking for time to “rebuild trust and demonstrate better governance.”
Zuckerman, who is himself Jewish, has supported various Jewish and pro-Israel initiatives, including through a 2016 $100 million initiative “to provide scholarships and other support to the next generation of STEM [leaders] in the United States and Israel.”
“I understand Zuckerman’s decision to cut off donations from Columbia University,” Joshua Ye, a senior at Columbia, told Campus Reform.
“The administration’s response to widespread antisemitism has been inadequate,” he said. “It is unsurprising that I had Jewish friends tell me they feel unsafe on campus.”
Columbia has been at the center of an ongoing controversy regarding rising anti-Semitism at the school and the institution’s failure to make an effective response.
[RELATED: Yet another billionaire donor demands UPenn fix its anti-Semitism problem]
In April, anti-Israel students at Columbia started an encampment at the campus to protest against Israel’s ongoing offensive against the terrorist group Hamas. The encampment inspired similar protests and encampments against the Jewish State in college and university campuses across the nation.
A protester at Columbia in April shouted “We are Hamas” and “Long live Hamas.”
The terrorist group has also endorsed the student protests against the Jewish State across America’s campuses.
Campus Reform has contacted Columbia University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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