Harvard President Alan Garber sent an email to alumni Monday, seeking their support to help the university “serve the public good” as its high-stakes battle with the White House rages on.
The Trump administration has used legal threats and funding cuts in a campaign to force the university to yield to the president’s agenda, and so far nearly $3 billion in grants and contracts for the university have been slashed.
In the email to Harvard “alumni and friends,” Garber said the challenges facing the university are “unlike any others in our long history” and that the “independence of higher education in the United States has come under threat.”
“I am grateful to everyone who stands with Harvard as we continue to pursue our mission, drive progress, and serve the public good,” Garber wrote. “Now is the time to speak up and lend your support to institutions that have contributed so much to our nation and our world.”
Garber encouraged graduates to contribute to Harvard’s new Presidential Priorities Fund, which according to the university’s website gives Garber “the flexibility to address pressing needs and fresh opportunities as they arise, providing immediate impact for the University.“
He said alumni can also direct their support to the individual schools they attended within the university.
Garber also asked alumni to advocate for Harvard and higher education.
“Speak with your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues about the role of higher education as an engine of American progress and a force for good in people’s lives,” Garber wrote. “Contact your representatives in Washington to let them know your views and to affirm your support for research universities and their critical work.”
The nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, Harvard has been locked in a bitter battle with the Trump administration, as federal officials have accused Harvard of cultivating an academic environment that is rigidly leftist and intolerant of conservative viewpoints and which creates a breeding ground for antisemitism.
Donations have surged since the university said it would stand up to the Trump administration, but Harvard’s alumni span the political spectrum and some major donors have been frustrated with the university’s response, the Globe reported earlier this month.
In April, The New York Times reported that a number of big donors wanted the university to “soften its stance and seek ‘productive’ discussions” with the Trump administration.
Harvard’s fund-raising rose in 2021 and 2022 but has dipped since then. According to Harvard’s 2024 financial report, total gifts have decreased by nearly a quarter-billion dollars since 2022, with a 15 percent drop from 2023 to 2024.
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.