The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) is undergoing significant financial strain as it begins laying off employees and downsizing operations in response to deep funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration. These cuts include the withdrawal of more than $2 billion in federal funding, significantly impacting the school's ability to maintain its research and academic infrastructure.
As reported by The Harvard Crimson, the budget-tightening measures come amid what school officials are calling a "significant budget crisis." Over the last two days alone, HSPH received three federal stop-work orders worth more than $60 million. The sudden withdrawal of support has already resulted in staff layoffs, reduced departmental budgets, and a reevaluation of the school's physical footprint.
Layoffs and closures underway amid financial uncertainty
The layoffs, which have already begun, primarily affect staff and researchers involved in projects that lost funding this year. While HSPH has not set a specific target for the number of layoffs, it stated that it aims to honor existing faculty commitments. Stephanie Simon, a spokesperson for HSPH, said the school is taking a "targeted approach" to manage the crisis by identifying strategic priorities and making sustainable cuts, as quoted by The Harvard Crimson. "Unfortunately, this will lead to layoffs," Simon added.
In addition to reducing its workforce, HSPH is terminating leases on two major properties. According to Simon, the school is consolidating operations to its core campus to lower expenses. One building, located at 90 Smith Street, houses the human resources office and a branch of the Harvard University Police Department. The second lease, covering the fourth floor of the Landmark Center, includes 40,000 square feet of labs, faculty and graduate student offices, and classrooms.
Federal crackdown threatens key research and international students
Federal research funding accounted for 46 percent of HSPH's revenue in fiscal year 2025. As of last month, at least a dozen grants had been terminated. One stop-work order affected a $60 million tuberculosis research contract led by HSPH professor Sarah Fortune. Two other halted projects involved breast cancer tumor sequencing and the relationship between coffee consumption and cancer, according to The Harvard Crimson.
The Trump administration has further intensified pressure on Harvard by threatening its tax-exempt status, as reported by CNN. Simultaneously, the Department of Homeland Security warned the university that it may lose its eligibility to enroll international students unless it provides disciplinary records and protest activity data. With international students making up around 40 percent of HSPH's student body, Simon told The Harvard Crimson that this threat adds to the school's financial challenges.
Despite the turmoil, HSPH is continuing efforts to protect its core educational and research missions while minimizing the impact on its workforce.
As reported by The Harvard Crimson, the budget-tightening measures come amid what school officials are calling a "significant budget crisis." Over the last two days alone, HSPH received three federal stop-work orders worth more than $60 million. The sudden withdrawal of support has already resulted in staff layoffs, reduced departmental budgets, and a reevaluation of the school's physical footprint.
Layoffs and closures underway amid financial uncertainty
The layoffs, which have already begun, primarily affect staff and researchers involved in projects that lost funding this year. While HSPH has not set a specific target for the number of layoffs, it stated that it aims to honor existing faculty commitments. Stephanie Simon, a spokesperson for HSPH, said the school is taking a "targeted approach" to manage the crisis by identifying strategic priorities and making sustainable cuts, as quoted by The Harvard Crimson. "Unfortunately, this will lead to layoffs," Simon added.
In addition to reducing its workforce, HSPH is terminating leases on two major properties. According to Simon, the school is consolidating operations to its core campus to lower expenses. One building, located at 90 Smith Street, houses the human resources office and a branch of the Harvard University Police Department. The second lease, covering the fourth floor of the Landmark Center, includes 40,000 square feet of labs, faculty and graduate student offices, and classrooms.
Federal crackdown threatens key research and international students
Federal research funding accounted for 46 percent of HSPH's revenue in fiscal year 2025. As of last month, at least a dozen grants had been terminated. One stop-work order affected a $60 million tuberculosis research contract led by HSPH professor Sarah Fortune. Two other halted projects involved breast cancer tumor sequencing and the relationship between coffee consumption and cancer, according to The Harvard Crimson.
The Trump administration has further intensified pressure on Harvard by threatening its tax-exempt status, as reported by CNN. Simultaneously, the Department of Homeland Security warned the university that it may lose its eligibility to enroll international students unless it provides disciplinary records and protest activity data. With international students making up around 40 percent of HSPH's student body, Simon told The Harvard Crimson that this threat adds to the school's financial challenges.
Despite the turmoil, HSPH is continuing efforts to protect its core educational and research missions while minimizing the impact on its workforce.
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