Columbia University's settlement with the Trump administration is making waves across higher education as the White House indicates it wants the agreement to be a roadmap for other colleges.

Advocates are angry at Columbia’s cooperation while President Trump's supporters cheer what they consider much needed reforms after the school agreed to pay a $220 million fine and change multiple policies in exchange for all federal investigations into it to be dropped and a restoration of funding.

Among other agreed-to reforms, the Manhattan Ivy League institution said it would end programs that “promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotes, diversity targets or similar efforts” and report foreign students who are expelled to the federal government.

Both Columbia and the Trump administration framed the deal as a win, with the university insisting it kept its academic independence in the process.

But others in the higher education sphere label it a “watershed” moment, especially as Columbia agreed to have an independent monitor determine if it is staying in compliance with the deal.

“The Columbia settlement is a disaster for higher education. I think it's fair to say that never in the history of this country has the federal government had more control over an independent institution of higher education than this agreement creates. It's a disaster. It's an act of cowardice by the leadership of Columbia and bullying and weaponization of antisemitism for nefarious purposes by........

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