GOP pushes for stripping Columbia’s accreditation status after campus unrest

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are urging a top college accreditation board to reevaluate its standards for Columbia University as a top academic institution in the wake of anti-Israel campus protests there and around the country.

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., led a letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education accusing the New York City Ivy League school of violating established standards on “ethics and integrity,” as well as delivery and support of the “student learning experience.”

“Accreditation entities play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and integrity of higher education institutions by assuring quality assurance, public accountability, and continuous improvement. The U.S. Department of Education has come to rely on accrediting agencies to help ensure that the higher education institutions that receive federal funds meet quality standards in curriculum, faculty qualifications, student services, facilities, and educational outcomes,” the letter said.

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Rep. Rich McCormick wants Columbia University’s accreditation standards re-evaluated. (Getty Images)

McCormick accused Columbia of becoming a hotbed for antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel.

“Jewish students have been made to feel unsafe and have been subject to harassment and even physical violence by pro-Hamas student protesters and faculty,” he said.

The letter went on to cite comments by professors in support of Palestine, including one professor who wrote a paper calling the sight of “Palestinian resistance fighters storming Israeli checkpoints” on Oct. 7 “astounding.”

They also knocked the university’s president for initially moving classes online when the protests began.

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An anti-Israel demonstrator holds a flag on the rooftop of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York on April 30, 2024. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The letter is signed by nine other Republican lawmakers, including the No. 4 House GOP leader, Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

House Republicans have been coming down hard on colleges that have seen anti-Israel encampments pop up on campus, with several university presidents being summoned to Capitol Hill to testify about how they are handling antisemitism at their schools.

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“Columbia University no longer upholds the accreditation standards outlined by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. We urge you to reevaluate Columbia Universities’ accreditation based on their incompliance with Standard II: Ethics and Integrity, Standard III: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience, and Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience,” the letter said.

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“Quality standards are a defining hallmark of effective higher education institutions, and we must ensure American tax dollars are not being sent to institutions incapable of upholding them.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Columbia University for comment.