The Trump administration repeatedly threatened to stop grants to Cornell University for civil rights violations related to protests following the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, and, in early April, it acted. On April 8, April, Michael I. Kotikoff, Cornell University’s president, sent out a message regarding the frozen grants, especially from the Department of Defense (“DOD”):

Cornell is aware of media reports suggesting that more than $1 billion in federal grants have been frozen. While we have not received information that would confirm this figure, earlier today Cornell received more than 75 stop work orders from the Department of Defense related to research that is profoundly significant to American national defense, cybersecurity, and health.

The affected grants include research into new materials for jet engines, propulsion systems, large-scale information networks, robotics, superconductors, and space and satellite communications, as well as cancer research - work of significance for our national defense, the competitiveness of our economy, and the health of our citizens.

We are actively seeking information from federal officials to learn more about the basis for these decisions.

Cornell is a land-grant university that serves New York state and the nation. The university has worked diligently to create an environment where all individuals and viewpoints are protected and respected. We are committed to working with our federal partners to continue the contributions made by our scientists and scholars.

As of late June, while the government hasn’t officially notified Cornell about the funding freeze, the university has received dozens of stop-work orders and project termination notices:  

It (Cornell) has, however, received more than 140 stop-work orders and terminations from a range of federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, resulting in a cumulative impact of hundreds of millions of dollars, according to June 12 correspondence from Cornell Media Relations.

I believe it’s flat-out wrong not to provide Cornell with more information about the status of current projects or updates about additional research funding. Dedicated world-class professors and brilliant research students working toward advanced degrees have been tragically left in limbo.

I am sure there are analytical teams in the OD that are reviewing contracts awarded to many universities. But as a proud Naval Academy graduate and Vietnam Marine, who did his graduate work at Cornell, perhaps I could help them make a decision about Cornell.

According to US News and World Report, Cornell and the University of Chicago tied as the “Best Colleges for Veterans” in America. To earn this accolade, they must help make “a college education more affordable for veterans and active-duty service members.” Institutions that were studied had to have a minimum of 20 full- or part-time veterans enrolled.

The American veterans enrolled in academia today are those emerging from what are euphemistically known as “the sandbox wars.” They volunteered to serve, coming from all parts of America, cities or farms, or having previously worked in factories, office cubicles, or the service industry. They also represent all ideological stripes. What unites them is service. As the combat saying goes, “when bullets are flying and people are dying it comes down to a fundamental truth that no one was in it for the money.”

This generation of veterans can drive the entire moral tone of America. At one bright moment, they weren’t greedy, nor did they posture or make excuses. These didn’t whine or complain. Instead, as the infantry would say, they put one foot in front of the other and soldiered on to get the mission accomplished and build a better life for themselves and their families. Many are students at Cornell, so please unfreeze the money.

Cornell Tech buildings by Rhododendrites. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ed Timperlake, Cornell MBA, was the first Assistant Secretary Congressional and Public Affairs and then Public and Intergovernmental Affairs as the VA achieved Cabinet rank.