Jesus taught that no man can serve two masters—God and money. Harvard’s priorities (some might say Harvard’s gods) might be different from Grove City’s, but the lesson applies just the same. Federal money comes with strings attached. Those strings compromise a school’s independence and threaten its mission.

Harvard University and Grove City College are very different schools. Grove City is a small, conservative, Christian college. Harvard is a large, progressive, secular university. But soon, they might have something significant in common. To preserve its independence, Grove City College has long rejected all federal financial assistance. Now, Harvard may be forced to do the same.

Harvard President Alan Garber sent a letter to alums explaining Harvard’s predicament. In that letter he stated: “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” His words reminded me of what Grove City’s president said when I was a student: “As a private Christian College, we have a legitimate concern about federal interference in what we teach and how we teach it.”

Garber’s letter insists that Harvard “will not surrender its independence.” So too with Grove City. Independence is one of the college’s core values.

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