India, May 7 -- Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on Monday sent a sharply worded letter to Harvard University President Alan Garber, criticizing the Ivy League institution's handling of antisemitism on campus and accusing it of systemic failures in leadership and policy.

In the letter, McMahon accused Harvard of promoting race-based preferences in admissions and hiring. She further advised the university to stop seeking federal funding.

"Receiving such taxpayer funds is a privilege, not a right," she wrote. "Yet instead of using these funds to advance the education of its students, Harvard is engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law. Where do many of these 'students' come from, who are they, how do they get into Harva...