Stanford University is set to lay off hundreds of employees, citing “changes in federal policy” under the Trump administration.
The elite California private school laid off 363 employees last week, a university spokesperson told The Independent. The move affected roles across departments, including those working in administration, research, alumni relations and campus operations, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“The university is providing support resources as well as layoff benefits to eligible employees,” school officials said in a July 31 statement. “Nonetheless, these are difficult actions that affect valued colleagues and friends who have made important contributions to Stanford.”
The layoffs are the result of “ongoing economic uncertainty” and “anticipated changes in federal policy — such as reductions in federal research funding and an increase in the excise tax on investment income,” according to a letter from Stanford Vice President for Human Resources Elizabeth Zacharias reviewed by the Chronicle.
President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” — which he signed into law last month — increased Stanford’s endowment tax from 1.4 percent to 21 percent, the Chronicle reports. Stanford’s $37.6 billion endowment is among the largest in the country.
Stanford also lost a significant amount of federal research funding as agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation are impacted by ongoing funding freezes, the Chronicle reports.
Stanford has also been forced to make a $140 million reduction in its general budget for the upcoming year, according to a June statement from the school’s president and provost. The school officials cited “significant budget consequences from federal policy changes.”
“These changes include reductions in federal research support and an increase in the endowment tax,” the statement reads.
The Trump administration has taken aim at higher education this year, and some schools have made deals with the administration to ensure federal funding isn’t withheld.
For instance, Columbia University in New York City agreed to pay the Trump administration a $200 million settlement last month to prevent funding cuts over claims that the elite school failed to combat antisemitism.
Columbia University has not admitted wrongdoing and “does not agree with the government’s conclusion that it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act,” according to a July 23 statement from the school.
“We are not, however, denying the very serious and painful challenges our institution has faced with antisemitism,” the statement continues. “For these reasons, we took several important corrective steps in March, many of which are in this agreement, including a new provision for a liaison to the Jewish community, situated in University Life.”
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
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