Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Billionaire Harvard donor Ken Griffin says elite colleges produce ‘whiny snowflakes,’ stops donations
The Hill ^ | Jan 31, 2024 | Lexi Lonas

Posted on 02/02/2024 4:07:30 AM PST by Conservat1

Billionaire Harvard University donor Ken Griffin said Tuesday he has stopped financially supporting the university, accusing elite institutions of creating “whiny snowflakes” instead of focusing on education.

Griffin, the founder of Citadel and worth more than $30 billion, has contributed some $500 million to Harvard in his lifetime.

At the MFA Network Miami conference, he told CNBC in an interview he has stopped the donations but would “like that to change.”

“And I’ve made that clear to members of the corporate board. But until Harvard makes it very clear that they’re going to resume their role as educating young American men and women to be leaders, to be problem solvers, to take on difficult issues — I’m not interested in supporting the institution,” Griffin said.

He went further to chastise all elite universities, saying they create “whiny snowflakes” and raised concerns they are “going to maintain being lost in the wilderness of microaggressions, a DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] agenda that seems to have no real end game.”

Griffin previously said he would not hire any Harvard student who signed the infamous open letter at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war that blamed Israel solely for the Oct. 7 attack.

In the interview, he condemned antisemitism and expressed his displeasure with former Harvard President Claudine Gay for her answer at the December House Education Committee hearing on whether calls for genocide against Jewish people would be considered harassment.

“This is a simple answer: ‘You can ask my lawyers, but I’m going to tell you as the president of fill-in-the-blank university, there is no tolerance for calls to genocide on my campus,’” Griffin said.

... Griffin is far from the first donor to cut ties.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: dei; harvard; kengriffin; snowflakes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last
To: Conservat1

Pissin’ and moaning tantrum throwers. Little retarded crybabies.


21 posted on 02/02/2024 5:42:13 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer ( Joe Pedo's America! The Motel 6 to the world. Joe's Border Patrol will keep the light on for you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Conservat1

Is Harvard still requiring the Yellow Star on Jewish students?


22 posted on 02/02/2024 5:57:09 AM PST by bray (You can tell who the Commies fear.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Conservat1

23 posted on 02/02/2024 5:58:53 AM PST by know.your.why (<>)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Beowulf9

I guess I misremembered. I was thinking of Reid Hoffman who had cut her off.


24 posted on 02/02/2024 6:00:32 AM PST by cyclotic (Don’t be part of the problem. Be the entire problem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: caddie
I disagree. When the big donors stop contributing, Harvard will get rid of its board. "Just last April, Ken Griffin made a $300 million gift to Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS)"1. That's a lot of money. He has just stopped all his contributions to Harvard.

BTW, it was one man (Bill Ackman) who brought down Claudine Gay from the presidency. When billionaire donors get together, Harvard listens (and so will hundreds, perhaps thousands, of small donors).

For what it's worth, donors don't just contribute to the endowment fund. They fund many research projects. Those also are now in danger.

Harvard and the rest of academia may not have thought about it, but there is a major storm on their horizon.

25 posted on 02/02/2024 6:16:33 AM PST by RoosterRedux (A person who seeks the truth with a strong bias will never find it. He will only confirm his bias.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: caddie
Speaking of doofuses, it was one doofus who told Harvard to keep Claudine Gay as president. That doofus was Barack Obama.

It was another doofus who told them to get rid of her. That doofus was a billionaire contributor (Bill Ackman).

Can you guess who they listened to?

26 posted on 02/02/2024 6:20:54 AM PST by RoosterRedux (A person who seeks the truth with a strong bias will never find it. He will only confirm his bias.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: caddie

no that 50 billion can be whittled quite easily. the leftist government has shown the way. Rigged studies, followed by rigged investigations, followed by huge fines..


27 posted on 02/02/2024 6:52:08 AM PST by rottweiller_inc (inter canem et lupum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Conservat1

BTTT


28 posted on 02/02/2024 6:58:46 AM PST by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: caddie

You make an excellent point.
And, Leftists make special efforts to infiltrate and control such institutions and charitable foundations.


29 posted on 02/02/2024 7:43:13 AM PST by sjmjax
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Conservat1

IF he had contributed $500,000 each to 1000 farmers-—it would have been more useful.


30 posted on 02/02/2024 8:50:03 AM PST by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: know.your.why

POST OF THE DAY


31 posted on 02/02/2024 8:51:20 AM PST by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Conservat1

Isn’t it funny that those who are screaming that Israel must “moderate” their response to this unprecedented assault, have no problem with those who conducted the attack (and their supporters) having a right to DEMAND GENOCIDE towards the victims of the attack!!

Two quick questions for these obvious “scholars”:
1) Exactly what is considered “moderate” in response to someone calling for the annihilation of your entire people?
2) And what happened to their beliefs that WORDS ARE VIOLENCE...would not the words calling for the murder of all men, women, and children of Israeli ancestry be considered “words of violence”?!?


32 posted on 02/02/2024 11:12:25 AM PST by ExTxMarine (Finish the Wall and Deport them All!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Conservat1; lightman; Navy Patriot

Harvard, Yale, etc. do NOT produce “whiny snowflakes”. They just admit Gen Z individuals, many of whom are “whiny snowflakes” to begin with!

Harvard’s fault is their failure to convert “whiny snowflakes” into decent, well-educated human beings!

I wonder about MIT, which requires really hard work from all its students. Doe that convert “whiny snowflakes” into decent, well-educated human beings? Inquiring minds want to know!


33 posted on 02/02/2024 11:12:31 AM PST by Honorary Serb (Kosovo is Serbia! Free Srpska! Abolish ICTY!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Honorary Serb
I remember the days (in the 70's and 80's) when graduating seniors would pull out all the stops to get an acceptance from MIT because all the Engineers and Scientists in the West knew one had to EARN that Sheepskin, unlike the Libbulh Arts schools.

Misspelling deliberate.

34 posted on 02/02/2024 11:26:31 AM PST by Navy Patriot (Celebrate Decivilization)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Navy Patriot

Harvard undergrads in History and Literature also need to earn their degrees, including a thesis! (There are also other demanding Harvard majors—H & L is just the most famous.)

In these horrible times, I hope that none of them plagiarize their theses!


35 posted on 02/02/2024 11:35:44 AM PST by Honorary Serb (Kosovo is Serbia! Free Srpska! Abolish ICTY!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Honorary Serb
I hope you get Harvard and Her name, back on the Merit and Honor system exclusively.

I am going to have to defer to you on how, as I am educated in technology, science and a reasonable amount of math & statistics only.

36 posted on 02/02/2024 11:48:28 AM PST by Navy Patriot (Celebrate Decivilization)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson