As the Northwestern community attempts to grasp the implications of the Trump administration’s funding freeze, two University administrators advised researchers and principal investigators to delay staffing changes and reduce spending in a Friday afternoon email obtained by The Daily.
In the email, sent to all NU faculty on the Evanston and Chicago campuses, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Amanda Distel and Vice President for Research Eric Perreault cited “uncertainties” due to federally-initiated stop-work orders and grant terminations.
Until Friday, the University had remained relatively quiet after the federal government issued more than 100 stop-work orders on NU projects since Tuesday.
“We are working closely with the president, provost and the Board of Trustees to develop guidance, but this deliberative process requires time given the lack of clarity on the overall impact to Northwestern and the rapidly changing federal landscape,” Distel and Perreault wrote in the email.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration froze $790 million in federal funding to the University amid ongoing Title VI investigations relating to antisemitism on campus.
University President Michael Schill called this week’s funding freeze and stop-work orders “deeply disturbing” in a Thursday email sent to the NU community. He added the University was exploring options to support its researchers.
During a tumultuous week of federal crackdowns on various universities, NU administrators have not yet been notified of the funding freeze or stop-work orders by the federal government, according to a University spokesperson. However, the government is expected to produce a list of demands for NU to restore its funding in the following days — similar to demands made of Harvard University and Columbia University.
In a Friday email obtained by The Daily, McCormick School of Engineering Dean Christopher Schuh informed McCormick students and faculty that the Trump administration has issued more than 50 stop-work orders for McCormick projects — primarily involving the Department of Defense. Impacted students and research staff are still being paid, Schuh said in the email.
“It will take a bit of time to fully understand the full situation and make plans that responsibly address the problems that we face,” Schuh wrote in the email.
While NU confronts a slew of grant terminations, Distel and Perreault said the latest guidance intends to ensure sustainability while the University gains further clarity on the scope and duration of the disruptions.
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— Federal government freezes $790 million in funding for Northwestern
