Stanford University has implemented a hiring freeze in response to the Trump administration’s potential cuts to higher education, as well as new proposals to tax university endowments.
President Jonathan Levin and Provost Jenny Martinez announced the move in a message to the campus community on Wednesday.
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The officials explained noted potential federal policy changes as the primary reasons for the school’s decision to pursue “prudent steps to limit spending.”
”Critically needed positions may be approved by the cognizant dean, vice president, or vice provost, though these situations should be limited,” the message reads. “The freeze does not apply to faculty positions, contingent employees (temporary and casual), or student workers.”
The officials note that cuts to research funding from the National Institutes of Health, as well as an increased endowment tax, would be “very significant risks to the university.”
According to Forbes, Stanford is not the only university to implement a hiring freeze due to the new Trump administration. The outlet reports that other schools to announce a freeze or alter spending include Northwestern, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
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On Feb. 14, MIT officials notified faculty and staff about the hiring freeze as a result of “changes at the federal level.”
”Given the uncertain outlook for federal funding and policy, we are now adopting a more careful stance on budgeting and hiring – much as MIT has done in the past in the face of abrupt and unpredictable financial challenges,” the message said. “Because ongoing changes at the federal level are producing budget reductions and continued uncertainty, we are taking the step of instituting a general hiring freeze on all nonessential positions, effective immediately and until further notice.”
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
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