Harvard President Abruptly Cancels Spring Break Trip To India; Details Here

Study in US: Harvard President Alan Garber's trip to India was planned over a month ago. It was to follow the tradition of Harvard's president's international trips during the spring break.

While American universities are closely watching the response of Columbia's University towards the Trump administration's ultimatum of a $400 million freeze, Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 has reportedly cancelled his plan of a trip to India during spring break.

The trip was planned over a month in advance and he was supposed to visit New Delhi and Mumbai where he was scheduled to meet alumni and donors in India. This trip was to follow the tradition of international trips by presidents of Harvard during spring break.

University spokesperson Jason A. Newton has refused to comment on the real reason behind the cancellation of this trip. However, Newton said that Garber's trip to India would be rescheduled.

More Details Of Harvard President's Cancelled Trip To India

Garber had even hosted a private lunch with Harvard affiliates to discuss his visit to India and how the university could leverage opportunities for growth from his trip to India.

Saravanan Thangarajan, a Harvard Medical School student also attended the lunch with the President. Thangarajan said that the President and Vice Provost of International Affairs Mark C. Elliott were planning to meet St. Xavier’s College administrators during their visit.

“They wanted to strategically understand it – how things evolved in India, in terms of education, economic landscape, and how can Harvard be more collaborative, both in terms of meaningful and strategic engagement,” he said, as reported by The Crimson.

US Universities Nervously Eye The Columbia Case

There is widespread fear among the US universities after the Trump administration issued a letter to Columbia University, in which the university was asked to finish disciplinary proceedings against students who occupied a building during the pro-Palestine protest last year.

According to Forbes, Columbia University has agreed to the demands of the Trump administration which included new campus police officers, restrictions on masks and more oversight for some departments. The US government had not only cancelled the $400 million in funding for the university, it also arrested two students of Columbia University for supporting Hamas.

After the Columbia University administration agreed to the government's demands there is a fear that other colleges and universities might also receive similar demands.

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