What federal probes could mean for Carnegie Mellon University

It's been weeks of whiplash at Carnegie Mellon University.

Federal research funding cuts loom. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pressing the institution over its high enrollment of Chinese international students. An investigation of what the White House sees as race-exclusionary practices could mean a further loss of federal funding.

A year ago, federal challenges to university practices and ideology in such rapid succession would have been unthinkable. But two months into the second Trump administration, this is the new normal for CMU and other elite institutions nationwide.

Last week, CMU President Farnam Jahanian penned a lengthy letter broadly addressing these topics and what he sees as the potential fallout. It was a move that stood out as CMU officials have largely remained close-mouthed — at least publicly — on the changes to education and research funding introduced by President Donald Trump.

It remains to be seen how drastically the private Pittsburgh institution will be impacted by federal pressures over the next four years.

In the interim, school leaders are scrambling to both adapt to a shifting landscape and maintain CMU's "strengths and values," as Jahanian puts it.

"The people at the top of the university are having to earn their (salaries)," Robert Strauss, a CMU professor of economics and public policy, said half-jokingly.

CMU isn't alone in facing federal shake-ups. Forty-four other universities are being probed for their ties to The PhD Project, a nonprofit created to help Black and Latino students pursue graduate degrees in business that recently shifted to support all students regardless of race.

Six universities, including CMU and Stanford, have been asked to disclose what share of their graduate student bodies consists of Chinese international students, and how these students participate in research.

And Ivy League institutions Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania have been singled out by the Trump administration for their policies related to the Israel-Hamas war and transgender athletes, respectively.

But though the administration has targeted some Western Pennsylvania schools, including CMU, Trump also touted the region as a key sector for economic and technological growth on the campaign trail. And billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, has expressed interest in investing in the region.

Here's where CMU stands on federal challenges — and what investigations and funding cuts could mean for Pittsburgh school.

The PhD Project

The PhD Project was created in the 1990s to host conferences and provide a network specifically aimed at supporting Black and Latino students who wished to pursue graduate business degrees.

The nonprofit would partner with universities nationwide to further this mission. This month, CMU and the nonprofit had a joint colloquium on artificial intelligence on the calendar.

As of January, the nonprofit supports students regardless of race. But that didn't stop the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights from launching its investigation earlier this month of alleged race-exclusionary practices.

Other schools being investigated include Ohio State, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University.

"The department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination," U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. "... Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment."

If the administration finds that CMU violated federal law through its partnership with The PhD Project, that could result in a staggering loss of funding.

In fiscal year 2024 alone, Carnegie Mellon received roughly $360 million from the U.S. government, according to federal data. Much of that — $214 million, or about 60%— came from the Department of Defense.

Other big federal contributors to CMU that year included the National Science Foundation ($61 million), the Department of Health and Human Services ($40 million) and the Department of Education ($13 million).

In a statement to the Post-Gazette, CMU spokeswoman Cassia Crogan said the university had received notice of the investigation.

"We are carefully reviewing the matter to determine next steps and ensure compliance with the law," she wrote.

The Trump administration investigation is part of its larger push against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Nationally, some universities — such as West Virginia University and the University of Michigan — have already disbanded their DEI offices.

In Jahanian's letter last week, he said CMU was evaluating its broader DEI approach to ensure "no program or practice is unintentionally exclusionary," while remaining committed to an "inclusive, engaged and supportive community." Jahanian also stressed the importance of free speech and academic freedom in the message.

It's currently unclear whether partnerships with The PhD Project and other university DEI initiatives violate the Civil Rights Act, said Joe Cohn, director of policy at Heterodox Academy, a nonprofit that supports open inquiry and viewpoint diversity within higher education.

"I think that's unsettled at the moment," Cohn said. "But generally speaking, institutions should be trying to provide resources to all of their students and they should be vested in the success of everyone."

He added that the government also can't censor diversity-related speech or debate in the classroom.

Several universities have already broken ties with The PhD Project since the government began its probe. That was a "disappointment," PhD Project board chair Alfonzo Alexander told the Post-Gazette. He said the nonprofit would remain committed to its mission to expand the pool of workplace talent.

"We create opportunities for people that then impact the students that they teach, and they impact our society through the research that they do," Alexander said.

"That's what we've always done. We're making a shift in terms of who we serve, and we're adding to who we serve. We believe that there still is a need for (The PhD Project), and that's where we're going to focus our energies."

Chinese international student enrollment and federal funding

Just five days after CMU was notified of The PhD Project investigation, Jahanian received a letter from the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party regarding CMU's international student enrollment.

The letter raised concerns that CMU was prioritizing "short-term financial gains" over "long-term global technological leadership and national security" through its admittance of a high number of Chinese international students.

"America's student visa system has become a Trojan horse for Beijing, providing unrestricted access to our top research institutions and posing a direct threat to our national security," says the letter signed by U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Michigan, chair of the committee.

"If left unaddressed, this trend will continue to displace American talent, compromise research integrity and fuel China's technological ambitions at our expense."

CMU has said it is reviewing the letter, which asks the university to send the committee data on Chinese international student enrollment, research participation and tuition funding.

More than a third of CMU's student body consists of international students. In fall 2023, nearly half of those international students — 2,955 — were from China.

The committee's probe into CMU comes as the Trump administration has pulled more than 300 student visas from international students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Further targeting of international student policies and visas would make waves at CMU because of its large international student population, said Strauss, the CMU professor, who also sits on the board of the state chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

"If Trump decides to fool around with visas the way he's fooling around with tariffs, that's going to change the applicant flow to a place like (CMU)," Strauss said. "We're overleveraged on international students."

There are two possible reasons behind investigations initiated by the federal government, Strauss said. They could intend to "intimidate and bully" or to "correct a social wrong," he said. In many cases, it has been up to federal judges to determine the constitutionality of the administration's decisions, or pause them.

"What could be improper or unprofessional today depends on what a federal judge is going to say tomorrow," Strauss said.

Cuts to National Institutes of Health research grants are currently on hold after a Massachusetts judge granted a temporary injunction sought by CMU, the University of Pittsburgh and other research institutions earlier this month.

If cuts come to fruition, CMU stands to lose $8.5 million annually. Pitt would lose $183 million.

For every federal dollar invested in CMU research, the university contributes 40 cents from internal and philanthropic resources, Jahanian wrote in his letter. Research cuts could impact societal well-being and global competitiveness, he said, and CMU leaders are in contact with state and federal elected officials to "convey the value" of the university's research.

But it is also on universities to rebuild the trust that they have lost from both elected officials and the general public, Jahanian reflected.

"The real or perceived erosion of this trust (in higher education) is deeply concerning and, if left unaddressed, poses a serious threat to the foundations of discovery and progress," Jahanian wrote.

"As a higher-ed community, we must work intentionally to demonstrate the immense contributions we make to society — and our commitment to remain accessible and attuned to the challenges and opportunities of our time."

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