New MIT website appears to respond to scrutiny from the Trump administration
“Understanding MIT” highlights the Institute’s contributions to national competitiveness, including a video titled “A World Without MIT”
Illustration by Latyr Niang
On May 20, President Kornbluth emailed members of the MIT community to emphasize the administration’s commitment to “the future of American science and innovation” and to detail its response to recent federal funding cuts targeting higher education and research. In her email, Kornbluth included a link to a new website, Understanding MIT, which describes the Institute as “merit-based and affordable” and lists MIT’s contributions to medicine, national security, and agriculture, among others.
The website comes at a uniquely perilous time for higher education. Beyond sweeping cuts to research funding and threatened increases on the endowment tax, the Trump administration has explicitly targeted specific universities, particularly those perceived as “elite.” On May 22, the government stripped Harvard, just two miles away from MIT, of its ability to enroll international students after the university pushed back against funding freezes and threats against its tax-exempt status.
Unlike other top schools like Harvard or Columbia, MIT has thus far avoided being singled out by the federal government. Although President Kornbluth told The Tech on April 30 that MIT would have responded like Harvard if put under similar pressure, the Institute has kept a low profile overall: in the same interview, Kornbluth stated that her conversations with politicians have focused on the importance of “curiosity-driven research” to the nation’s economic and technological success.
Many of the pages on Understanding MIT strike a similar vein, addressing “American innovation,” defense, and “practical education.” Several pages emphasize MIT’s contributions to the military, including a subsection on the “National Security” page dedicated to Lincoln Laboratory and a link on the “American Innovation” page to MIT News’ “Department of Defense” tag.
A page titled “Our Endowment” highlights MIT’s strengths in financial aid (free undergraduate tuition for families earning less than $200,000) and “robust research” that contributes to “American competitiveness,” mirroring President Kornbluth’s statement to The Tech on April 30 that “science and technology — the R&D investments that have been made in universities in partnership with the government — are the key drivers of American success.” The page notes that increased taxes on educational endowments, such as the one proposed by the Trump administration, would directly impact these areas.
However, one page, “Merit and Excellence,” goes further in appearing to respond directly to criticism from the Trump administration and other conservative leaders. The federal government’s hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts is one of the hallmarks of its rhetoric regarding higher education. Accordingly, one paragraph on the “Merit and Excellence” page, labeled “Rigor in admissions and hiring,” highlights how MIT “eliminated DEI statements in faculty hiring” in May 2024.
Moreover, President Trump has long criticized “cancel culture,” alleging that it creates an unfriendly environment for free expression. A paragraph headed “Commitment to free speech” touts the MIT Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom, which the faculty endorsed in December 2022.
Finally, Trump has often characterized elite education as antisemitic and pushed for harsher disciplinary measures against student protesters. The “Merit and Excellence” page cites MIT’s “longstanding commitment” to combating racism and antisemitism, stating that “students who violated campus rules” faced “probation, full suspensions, and/or bans from campus” under the heading “Strengthened discipline.”
In an email statement to The Tech, Institute Office of Communications spokesperson Kimberly Allen wrote that the site “reflects topics that often come up” in conversations that President Kornbluth and other MIT leaders have had in D.C.
Some students expressed concern about Understanding MIT’s tone to The Tech. Jonathan Anziani ’25 wrote that he does not believe the site “paints an accurate picture of this school” or intends to do so. Anziani, who took particular issue with MIT “touting their crackdown on student activism,” wrote, “The goal of this website is to protect MIT from Republican representatives.”
Victoria Martens ’26 wrote that although she does not know if Understanding MIT is an accurate representation of the Institute, she understands why the administration created the website. Martens called the Trump administration “extremely anti-intellectual,” adding, “They will make an example out of MIT if we give them anything to go off of.”