Princeton will freeze most faculty and staff hiring, citing uncertainty around federal funding and a potential increased endowment tax, according to a memo sent to faculty and staff Wednesday morning. The letter, from Provost Jennifer Rexford and Executive Vice President Katie Callow-Wright, follows many other universities adopting hiring freezes in response to funding uncertainty. It represents the University’s most significant response to date to recent federal actions.
Rexford and Callow-Wright’s memo begins by acknowledging federal cutting of research funding, the possible expansion of the government endowment tax, and further restrictions on higher education that have put Princeton’s “longstanding compact” with the federal government “under profound stress.”
The memo lays out four actions to respond to further budget challenges in the coming months: avoiding staff growth except in “mission-critical” circumstances and re-evaluating requests to fill vacancies, postponing faculty searches in early stages, evaluating changes to “major projects … in early planning stages,” and returning the annual employee merit increase pool to “the pre-pandemic norm.” The faculty salary increase pool refers to a percentage of the salary budget dedicated to cover “merit and inflationary increases,” as well as increases for promotions and other special adjustments.
According to an internal memo sent to academic deans, chairs, and directors, the University is postponing ”most junior and senior faculty searches that have not been voted on by department faculty as of March 11, 2025,” but offers in cases where voting has concluded will be not be affected. Searches will be postponed until the 2025–6 academic school year.
“This is not a comprehensive list and more serious actions may be required as the external environment changes,” the memo continues. “However, we believe that our best defense against more serious actions in the future is campus-wide exercise of financial prudence now.”
“Our planning is driven by a core principle, which is that in times of financial uncertainty and stress, we must protect our core mission and ongoing commitments before making new commitments,” it adds, in reference to the University’s obligations to undergraduate and graduate students, early-career academics, and the “strategic initiatives necessary to maintain Princeton’s global leadership in education, science, and society.”
Like many of the University’s announcements in response to actions by the Trump administration, Wednesday’s memo indicated that guidance would continually be updated as potential political changes continue to impact higher education.
“We recognize this is an unsettling and stressful moment in our community, and that there is a hunger for detailed information and specifics,” it reads. “As external circumstances develop, you can expect to hear directly from leaders in your unit about additional information or changes that affect you.”
In the memo, Rexford and Callow-Wright also asked for departments and units to be prudent with spending.
“On that front, we need everyone’s help. Please look for ways big and small to restrain non-critical spending, which will give us flexibility down the road. Please be attentive and supportive of cost-saving measures implemented in your unit and in other areas,” they wrote. “And most importantly, please stay focused on your work, which is critical to Princeton’s mission of service to the nation and to humanity.”
Until now, Princeton’s response has centered around reassuring the community and providing pre-existing information on topics relevant to higher education. For example, in a January email, President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 assured the campus community that while “there is much that we do not know,” the University is working to “ensure continuity of operations and programs should temporary interruptions to funding occur.” Later, at the February Council of the Princeton University Community meeting, he directed the audience to “Keep Calm and Carry On” in the face of executive orders.
The University also launched a website titled “Campus Resources on Federal Actions,” which connects users to web pages that mostly reiterate Princeton’s existing policies about federal research funding, community members’ legal status, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
The letter also highlights that other factors are adding to the “uncertainty and disruption” related to federal research funding, citing a potential endowment tax in Congress and mass layoffs at federal agencies that could disrupt services such as financial aid and visa processing.
Princeton is the fifth of the eight Ivy League schools to institute protective financial measures in the wake of actions by the Trump administration.
Alan M. Garber, president of Harvard University, announced on Mar. 10 that the university would be implementing a temporary hiring pause of both faculty and staff to “limit significant new long-term commitments that would increase our financial exposure and make further adjustments more disruptive.” Also on Mar. 10, The University of Pennsylvania announced a freeze on almost all faculty hiring and all staff hiring.
Other universities have also had varied responses to possible funding cuts. Stanford, MIT, and Notre Dame announced staff hiring freezes, but did not freeze faculty hiring. Cornell froze all hiring, and Emory froze most hiring. A common thread between these statements was the preservation of university programs and people critical to their core values.
The memo ends by reiterating some of the language from Eisgruber’s January email to the community: it states that the University is monitoring federal changes, will comply with the law while advocating for the University’s rights, and directs community members to the Campus Resources webpage.
“Please be assured that we have established systems for monitoring and planning against uncertainties and are working hard to be as prepared as we can,” the memo states. “We will comply with the law, stand up for our rights under the law, and use our influence to advocate with lawmakers and policymakers for support of higher education.”
Elisabeth Stewart is a senior News writer and assistant News editor emeritus for the ‘Prince.’ She typically covers religious life, student identity and campus life, and eating clubs and co-ops.
Luke Grippo is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey and usually covers administrative issues, including Undergraduate Student Government, the CPUC, and institutional legacy.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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