As Harvard squares up for a bruising legal fight with the White House over billions in frozen federal grants, the university’s future could depend on its Rolodex of ultra-wealthy alumni.

The president of Harvard on Wednesday defended the university’s decision to sue the Trump administration, adding that the institution “cannot compromise” on core principles like the First Amendment. Harvard took legal action against the Trump administration on Monday over the government’s decision to freeze over $2 billion in federal funding meant for the university after it refused to make the reforms it ordered.