Higher Education

 This letter in it's original form (not corrected) circulated on social media. The right-wing commentary generally asked why Harvard or any education system needed federal money. Perhaps some background on federal grant monies would be in order.

The government relies on universities like Harvard to produce educated and employable students, as well as innovative research that benefits society and contributes to national priorities. Harvard-funded research has led to numerous advancements, including the discovery of GLP-1 for diabetes and obesity treatment, the development of CRISPR gene editing technology, and advancements in multiple sclerosis research. Harvard Medical School has also played a key role in medical innovations like smallpox vaccine development, anesthesia, and the development of a safer method for bone marrow transplantation.

I would imagine that if Harvard had used federal money to promote a Wrestlemania smackdown or throw a military parade to honor a president's birthday, society would be better off. Certainly diabetes and cancer are less important.

I'm sure there is waste in federal grants to education just as there is waste in the Pentagon. This was never about research grants and federal monies being "wasted" on such research. It was always about a president controlling free speech and DEI initiatives. Trump didn't like that universities promote a free exchange of ideas that don't align with his view of the world.

Higher education might have helped our Secretary of Education write a more grammatically correct letter. If East Carolina University taught English grammar to students like Linda McMahon she wouldn't be such an embarassment.