Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer
Colleges and universities across the country have enacted hiring freezes. Harvard University, the University of Washington, and the University of Pittsburgh are among the latest universities to announce hiring freezes, citing uncertainty around federal funding. Many universities have said that they are looking for a way to cut costs and buy time as questions swirl around numerous efforts from President Trump to cut federal support from some colleges and universities. Numerous education experts have said that the cuts in resources could also harm the local economies of university towns and ultimately make the U.S. less competitive globally.
Many universities have also said that these hiring pauses are temporary and will be evaluated after they have more information from the federal government. President of Harvard Alan Garber made an announcement on Monday saying, “It is meant to preserve our financial flexibility until we better understand how changes in federal policy will take shape and can assess the scale of their impact.” Garber also said that he has been asking other school leaders to take steps such as scrutinizing discretionary spending and reviewing multi-year commitments, citing “substantial financial uncertainties driven by rapidly shifting federal policies.”
