U.S. Education Dept. Is Investigating If Harvard Failed To Report Funds From Foreign Sources

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether Harvard failed to report gifts and contracts it received from foreign sources, including China and Russia.

In a letter dated Feb. 11, the department said the elite university will have two months to come up with records — dating back to August 2013 — requested by the federal government. Harvard told WBUR it is preparing its response.

Beyond Harvard, Yale University received a letter this week telling school officials it is also under investigation. MIT received a similar letter last September.

As WBUR's Carrie Jung previously reported, anxiety has become heightened among members of the academic community about research conflicts of interest and increased scrutiny by the federal government following the arrest of a Harvard professor charged with making false statements about funding he received from the Chinese government.