The White House has faced a flurry of rejections after inviting nine universities to become “initial signatories” of the so-called compact, which asked colleges to make commitments aligned with Trump’s political priorities in exchange for favorable access to research funding.
The White House asked university leaders to provide initial feedback on the compact by Oct. 20, yet as the deadline approaches, none has signed on to the document.
After the meeting, McMahon took a collaborative tone, speaking of ongoing discussions with universities and referencing continued federal funding.
“We look forward to working together to develop alternative, lasting approaches to improving higher education,” Paul Mahoney wrote.
White House officials described the offer as a proactive approach to shape policy at U.S. campuses even as the administration continues its enforcement efforts.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote on X that the meeting with university presidents, which was initially broke by The Associated Press, was an “important step toward defining a shared vision.”. She expressed her desire for further discussion and called for a “renewed commitment to the time-honored principles that helped make American universities great.”.
Nine universities were invited to become “initial signatories” of the so-called compact, which asked colleges to make pledges in line with Trump’s political priorities in exchange for preferential access to research funding. The White House has since received a barrage of rejections. It was the most recent attempt by Trump’s administration to discredit esteemed academic institutions that conservatives characterize as liberal hotbeds.
By October, university leaders were asked by the White House to offer preliminary comments on the compact. 20, but no one has signed the document as the due date draws near. The University of Texas, Dartmouth College, the University of Arizona, and Vanderbilt University have not yet made an announcement. Questions concerning the call on Friday were not immediately answered by them. Leaders of the University of Texas system have expressed their gratitude for the inclusion, but other universities that are still considering the offer have not made their stance clear.
Following the meeting, McMahon adopted a cooperative stance, mentioning ongoing federal funding and mentioning ongoing talks with universities.
In the social media post, she stated, “American universities generate innovation, power our economy, and prepare young people for fulfilling lives and rewarding careers.”. Higher education can do more to strengthen American leadership globally and develop the workforce of the future with sustained federal investment and strong institutional leadership. “.”.
No one has taken yet.
But on Friday, the University of Virginia chose not to join Trump’s compact, making it the fifth university to do so. The university’s interim president wrote to McMahon and White House officials that awarding federal funding based on any criteria other than merit would compromise research integrity and further erode public trust in higher education.
Paul Mahoney wrote, “We look forward to collaborating to develop alternative, sustainable approaches to improving higher education.”.
It’s unclear exactly what universities stand to gain from accepting the deal, or what they stand to lose if they reject it. Trump officials claimed that the compact offered “multiple positive benefits,” including favorable access to federal funding, in a letter that was sent with it. Colleges were asked to adopt ten pages of pledges that reflected Trump’s beliefs in exchange.
The government’s rigid binary definition of “man” and “woman,” the elimination of race and sex from admissions decisions, the promotion of conservative viewpoints on campus, and “institutional neutrality” on current affairs were among the demands made by the administration.
According to the compact, “if the institution chooses to forego federal benefits, institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below.”.
On Friday, some Vanderbilt students were troubled by the matter, fearing that despite the agreement’s condemnation by student and faculty organizations, the university might still sign it.
In an interview at the Nashville campus, Marjolein Mues, a postdoctoral researcher studying language development in the brain, stated, “My main worry is just that this is like a first hook.”. Once universities accept this, the conditions will shift, they will be asked to do more and more, and perhaps the government will begin to meddle more in the kinds of research that are conducted here. “”.
Last week, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was the first to reject the agreement, claiming it would restrict campus autonomy and free expression. The University of Southern California, the University of Pennsylvania, and Brown University all rejected applicants with similar reasons.
an attempt to transform academia.
A wave of opposition has been generated by the compact, which seeks to change higher education through negotiation rather than legislation. Students have protested, academics have denounced it, and Democrats at all levels have taken offense. Gov. Virginia Democrats and California Governor Gavin Newsom have threatened to stop providing state funding to any university that agrees.
The administration was urged to revoke the compact by over 30 higher education organizations in a joint statement released Friday. The coalition, led by the American Council on Education, a group of research universities, claimed that the deal would restrict free speech and grant the government unheard-of authority over college curricula.
It said, “The compact is a step in the wrong direction.”.
Numerous clauses are in line with recent agreements the White House made with Columbia and Brown universities to end inquiries into claims of discrimination and to reinstate funding for research. However, one of the obstacles mentioned in Brown’s rejection is that the compact does not provide any protection for academic freedom, even though those agreements contained clauses confirming it.
As the first university to publicly reject a series of broad government demands, Harvard has been Trump’s main target in his continuous attempts to gain compliance from influential universities. After that, the White House canceled Harvard’s federal contracts, cut billions of dollars in research funding, and tried to prevent the Ivy League university from accepting international students.
Last month, a federal judge in Boston declared that the funding cuts were an unconstitutional overreach and reversed them.
A number of other prominent universities have also seen their funding slashed in the wake of alleged antisemitism investigations.
The offer was characterized by White House officials as a proactive strategy to influence policy at the U.S. S. campuses while the government keeps up its enforcement actions.
Trump stated on Sunday that universities that join will contribute to the establishment of “the Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”. He claimed that it would reform universities that are “now corrupting our Youth and Society with WOKE, SOCIALIST, and ANTI-AMERICAN Ideology” while speaking on his Truth Social platform. “”.
