Carnegie Mellon University’s campus stretches along Forbes Avenue in Oakland, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
A timeline of federal higher ed changes and responses by Pittsburgh-area colleges and universities.
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Here’s how President Donald Trump’s administration has roiled higher ed, and how the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and other local colleges and universities have responded.
This timeline will be updated as developments occur.
Aug. 5
CMU lays off 18 employees in its School of Computer Science, affecting those in “several departments” with both administrative and academic support duties. These included “marketing and communications, program support, computing support and outreach,” according to an email from the school’s dean that was shared with Public Source.
The dean said the school was “generally in good financial health” in the email, but noted the “significant financial and societal pressures” facing higher education institutions, warranting “proactive” budget assessments.
University President Farnam Jahanian’s message from March 26 was referenced in the email. In Jahanian’s message, he said the university was “being vigilant about our spending and hiring decisions” as a result of a moment of “profound change” for higher education.
In response to questions from Public Source, a university spokesperson said the layoffs were a “unit-level decision” and one that the university hasn’t replicated on a large scale this year.
“This was a thoughtful process to reduce expenses and operate differently in a quickly evolving higher education landscape by reorganizing positions and seeking other ways to use resources more efficiently,” the spokesperson said.
July 8
The website for Pitt’s new Office of Institutional Engagement and Well-being goes live. There are two mentions of the term “diversity,” one of “inclusive,” and none of “equity.”
July 1
Pitt’s new Office of Institutional Engagement and Well-being is launched, replacing the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In a campus-wide email, Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel said the new office will oversee compliance with laws concerning civil rights, Title IX and the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act], along with monitoring the university’s progress on “campus climate and student success.”
Gabel said these were areas the “former” OEDI office was in charge of. The new office was formed in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” letter sent in February, which threatened schools’ federal funding for considering race in admissions, programs, scholarships, graduation ceremonies and “all other aspects of student, academic and campus life.”
The letter was guidance and not legally binding. Pitt’s OEDI office website at the URL “diversity.pitt.edu” has been deleted, with the latest screen capture from Wayback Machine showing it was live on June 12.
PublicSource reached out to a university spokesperson and did not receive an immediate response.
June 16
Pitt joins 11 other institutions and three higher education associations in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense [DoD] for its 15% indirect costs cap, which was announced in May.
This is the first lawsuit that the university has joined as a plaintiff.
June 11
Gabel says, in a virtual town hall, that administrators are now making “more of a proactive effort” to push back against federal actions than they were in the first 90 days of the Trump administration.
Federal agencies have terminated 91 research awards across the university, totaling a $42 million loss. Agencies also issued modification awards, asking to better align grants with current federal funding priorities, on almost 100 research awards.
Administrators are crafting next fiscal year’s budget, which begins July 1. The university’s chief financial officer said a transition away from “a more hard hiring freeze” will occur then.
June 9
Pitt joins 23 other research institutions in filing an amicus brief supporting Harvard University’s lawsuit against the Trump administration, which has cut or frozen nearly $3 billion in grants.
The institutions argue that research strengthened the nation’s status as a leader and cuts threaten a historic partnership between universities and the government.
May 8
Pitt’s Vice Chancellor for Research Rob Rutenbar files a legal declaration supporting a preliminary injunction against the National Science Foundation’s 15% indirect costs cap, in a suit that CMU is involved in.
In the declaration, he outlines what NSF funding allows the university to accomplish and contribute locally and nationally. “The impact of a reduction in the indirect cost rate to 15% would be devastating,” he writes.
“Pitt cannot ‘float’ all the indirect costs it would likely lose coverage for … so some research projects would need to be terminated altogether, and others would need to be scaled down or pared back significantly,” he writes, including “layoffs, closures and research pauses.”
May 5
A 15% cap on indirect costs paid for by National Science Foundation grants goes into effect. CMU joins 12 universities and several higher ed organizations in a lawsuit against the federal government, fighting the cap.
“Our decision to challenge the federal government more than once in several months is the product of much thoughtful consideration and discussion,” CMU President Farnam Jahanian said in a message to the university community. The cap “would cause a sudden and severe shortfall for U.S. research universities, effectively crippling some of our nation’s greatest and surest engines of innovation and economic prosperity.”
In the message, he also addressed Trump’s 2026 budget proposal, stating that “presidential budget requests are rarely enacted as written.” As the budget process unfolds, CMU would continue to “amplify the pivotal impact of U.S. research universities and advocate for the importance of federal investment in research and education,” he said.
April 29
Eleven CMU international students and alumni have seen a restoration of legal status records, according to the university’s spokesperson. One student, who has completed work in the U.S. under Optional Practical Training [OPT], hadn’t seen records reinstated as of April 27.
Under OPT, some international students can be employed in the country for one to two years, before or after graduation.
April 28
All six international Pitt students and recent alumni impacted by sudden terminations of their legal status have seen their records restored, according to the university’s spokesperson. This follows the Trump administration’s decision on Friday to reverse course after students around the country, including some in Pittsburgh, filed lawsuits and judges began halting status revocations.
While immigration officials are “developing a policy that will provide a framework” for record terminations, a Department of Justice attorney said all students affected by the change over the last month would see reinstatements.
PublicSource reached out to CMU and La Roche University for information on their revoked students, but didn’t immediately receive a response.
April 21
The group Pittsburgh Healthcare Workers and Scientists sent an open letter, signed by more than 900 Pitt students, faculty and staff members, to university administrators. The letter calls on leaders to more firmly address visa revocations, federal research grant terminations and funding cuts.
The letter proposes the creation of a University Crisis Task Force to better respond to higher ed challenges and requests a meeting between some signatories and Pitt leaders in the next week.
April 11
A visa held by an undergraduate student at La Roche is revoked, a university administrator shared with PublicSource.
Revocations and wipes of international students’ records through a Department of Homeland Security system have been widespread over the week. Much of this is occurring, schools and students report, without communication from the government and with no reasons provided.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that there’s “no right to a student visa” and argued that visas would be cancelled in cases the government finds “appropriate,” such as participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Without legal status, students with terminated visas risk deportation.
April 9
Visas held by two recent graduates and one current Pitt student are revoked, according to an email sent by a university administrator. The administrator said no known immigration agencies or authorities have been on campus, and the students were offered unspecified “support.”
PublicSource reached out to Duquesne, Point Park, La Roche, Carlow, Chatham and Robert Morris universities to ask if students or recent graduates have been impacted by sudden visa terminations. Spokespeople for Duquesne, Point Park, Carlow and Chatham said there haven’t been any changes. RMU did not immediately respond.
April 7
Visas held by five recent graduates and two current CMU students are revoked, following a trend seen at universities across the country. The university reports that no immigration authorities have been on campus, and the students were connected with legal resources.
March 19
A congressional committee sends letters to six universities, including CMU, requesting information regarding Chinese students to assess national security risks. The letter states that U.S. higher ed institutions “are increasingly used as conduits for foreign adversaries to illegally gain access to critical research and advanced technology” and sets an April 1 deadline to turn over the details.
March 14
The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights opens investigations into CMU and 44 other universities nationwide for alleged Civil Rights Act violations following the guidance set out in the department’s “Dear Colleague” letter. The department said these institutions engaged in “race-exclusionary” practices within their grad programs by partnering with The Ph.D. Project, which “limits eligibility based on the race of participants.”
March 13
After Pitt paused faculty and staff hiring, administrators say that federal actions are not the only reason for the freeze. At a university faculty assembly meeting, Pitt’s Chief Financial Officer Dwayne Pinkney says enrollment trends, inflation and flat state funding were also behind the decision. The freeze would’ve happened “a little later” if not for recent events, he says — federal funding uncertainty was simply the catalyst.
Some faculty members at the meeting voice concerns about needing to fill critical teaching positions and mention they were interviewing candidates when the halt was announced. University Provost Joseph McCarthy says exceptions to the freeze are being developed and hiring decisions going forward will be evaluated based on whether they support and advance Pitt’s mission.
Faculty raise questions about Pitt leadership’s transparency regarding the financial challenges that Pinkney says have persisted over the last three to five years. He acknowledges that they haven’t served faculty well in this area, and vows better communication going forward.
March 10
The Pitt administration sends email announcing a hiring freeze until the end of the fiscal year in June, or beyond, and instructing departments to reduce non-compensation expenses, avoid nonessential travel and limit the purchase of discretionary supplies.
March 6
The National Association of Science Writers announces that Pitt and CMU pulled out of hosting the group’s annual conference, citing financial constraints related to federal funding uncertainty. Pitt’s spokesperson attributed it to “fiscal prudence while we evaluate the evolving landscape.” CMU’s spokesperson similarly cited “the current climate and uncertainties ahead.”
March 3
Christina Clark, La Roche’s president, sends email to faculty, students and staff updating them on the actions senior leaders have taken to address federal changes, including creation of a task force focused on monitoring federal actions and making recommendations. “There is a lot happening, but I will only communicate on federal actions that have become law and have been implemented. As always, La Roche will comply with local, state and federal laws,” Clark writes.
Feb. 27
Pitt is reported to be in the “early stages” of resuming Ph.D. admissions offers.
Feb. 26
The Community College of Allegheny County sends email to faculty, staff and students stating that work is occurring with stakeholders and national organizations to understand the guidance from the “Dear Colleague” letter. “In the meantime, please know that we continue to prioritize our core values in addressing any necessary modifications which may be required by this new federal guidance. And we remain committed to providing a safe, welcoming and supportive environment,” the email reads.
Feb. 21
Pitt pauses Ph.D. admissions in response to the proposed (but paused) cap on indirect costs associated with National Institutes of Health grants. Parts of Trump’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI] programs are blocked by a federal judge. Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel releases a message saying that university administrators are reviewing federal guidance, and noting that Pitt is “open to everyone.”
Feb. 20
PublicSource reports that several Pitt and CMU web pages and websites with references to DEI have been removed entirely or altered. A spokesperson for Pitt says the university’s 150,000 web pages are mostly “maintained by individual units or people. It is not uncommon for pages to be published, unpublished or moved for any number of reasons.”
Feb. 14
The U.S. Department of Education sends a “Dear Colleague” letter to schools, colleges and universities stating that consideration of race in admissions, programs, scholarships, graduation ceremonies and “all other aspects of student, academic and campus life” is illegal. This letter didn’t have the force of law but set a 14-day deadline for institutions to comply or risk their federal funding.
Feb. 11
After a temporary restraining order blocks the indirect costs cap, Gabel releases a message stating that although the university isn’t an individual plaintiff in lawsuits challenging Trump administration grant funding decisions, it’s “well represented at the leadership level” of the associations involved and is “providing supporting documentation.”
Feb. 10
Three separate lawsuits in response to the cap are filed by several state attorneys, a nonprofit, and a group of universities and higher education organizations. CMU is a co-plaintiff in one.
Feb. 9
Pitt administration sends email acknowledging the announcement and stating that a financial impact analysis is underway. The university is the country’s sixth-largest recipient of NIH funding among educational institutions. “There is no doubt that our collective scholarly impact could be harmed irreparably, as could our broader mission,” the email notes.
Feb. 7
A 15% cap on indirect costs for research funded by the NIH is announced. Many universities negotiate rates for these costs well above the proposed rate — for example, Pitt’s rate is 59%.
Feb. 3
Ken Gormley, Duquesne University’s president, sends email to students, faculty and staff addressing community concerns around immigration, saying that the university doesn’t have any known undocumented students, but administrators understand worries about “being targeted or detained despite having legal status.” He also announces that working groups are being created to “research and recommend actions” related to Trump administration orders on topics including research funding, immigration and academic freedom.
Jan. 29
The federal Office of Management and Budget [OMB] memo is withdrawn, but plans to scrutinize programs and research not aligned with the new administration’s orders remained.
Jan. 27
OMB directs federal agencies to implement a funding freeze. Agencies are told to evaluate and identify places where spending conflicts with new executive orders, leaving institutions scrambling to evaluate the implications.
Jan. 24
Jahanian, CMU’s president, releases message that the university is evaluating recent executive orders and expects it will take several weeks to understand their impact. He urges “meaningful, civil discourse that makes space for many perspectives.”
Jan. 20
Trump returns to office and begins signing a barrage of executive orders. More than 20 currently have implications for higher ed. Orders call for stricter vetting for those receiving visas; no funding for DEI programs; investigations into universities with endowments above $1 billion; reversal of protections for transgender students; and heightened deportation of undocumented students.
Maddy Franklin reports on higher ed for Pittsburgh’s Public Source, in partnership with Open Campus, and can be reached at madison@publicsource.org.
This story was fact-checked by Rich Lord.
This article first appeared on Pittsburgh’s Public Source and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.