Federal officials said Harvard must enact “merit-based reform” in hiring and admissions and report international students who broke rules, among other steps. Harvard called the demands unlawful.

The president of Harvard bluntly rejected the Trump administration’s demands for sweeping reforms Monday even though it places up to $9 billion of its funding at risk.It is the first major academic institution to thumb its nose at the White House’s request for concessions.

By Brad Brooks (Reuters) -Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a public letter on Monday that Harvard is resisting demands from the federal Department of Education that threaten "our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit,