We knew our universities had become a hotbed for left-wing extremism, but we just discovered a whole new reason to hate them: foreign funding and influence.
A new report by the National Association of Scholars (NAS) has highlighted that U.S. universities are accepting billions of dollars in undisclosed foreign donations, raising concerns about foreign influence on American higher education. This comes after previous investigations by the Trump administration revealed that foreign funding, particularly from adversarial countries like China, Qatar, and Russia, has been flowing into universities for years, often without proper disclosure.
https://x.com/BetsyDeVos/status/1842601587820360150
The NAS report, titled Shadows of Influence: Uncovering Hidden Foreign Funds to American Universities, points to the alarming continuation of these foreign donations under the Biden administration, despite efforts by the Trump administration to expose and regulate them. The report suggests that foreign funding may have influenced the strong pro-Hamas sentiment observed on many American campuses after the October 7 attacks, with the NAS particularly highlighting financial ties to Qatar, a known supporter of anti-Israel movements like the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
In 2020, a Trump-era Department of Education investigation found that universities had failed to report $6.5 billion in foreign funding. The NAS report claims that under the Biden administration, disclosure has again become lax, with universities failing to report approximately $1 billion of the $2.6 billion received from foreign entities in Biden’s first two years. Much of this undisclosed money reportedly comes from China, Qatar, and Russia.
The Department of Education’s foreign funding database was shut down by the Biden administration earlier this year, further complicating transparency efforts. In response, NAS created its own Foreign Donor Database through public records requests, revealing universities’ widespread failure to report foreign donations.
NAS report author Neetu Arnold has proposed several reforms, including mandatory public disclosure of all foreign donors and regular audits of university funding. These measures aim to address national security concerns, particularly as foreign funding influences academic research, technology, and even American policymaking. Despite potential investigations, many universities continue to underreport, underscoring the need for stricter enforcement and penalties for non-compliance.
This report raises significant questions about the influence of foreign money on American universities and the potential national security risks associated with these undisclosed donations.
How can we ever trust these institutions again?