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.”. Calling for a “renewed commitment to the time-honored principles that helped make American universities great,” she expressed her excitement for further discussion.
After inviting nine universities 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 been met with a barrage of rejections. It was Trump’s administration’s most recent attempt to discredit prominent universities that conservatives characterize as liberal hotspots.
University officials were asked by the White House to submit preliminary comments on the compact by October. 20, but no one has signed the document as the due date draws near. Dartmouth College, the University of Arizona, the University of Texas, and Vanderbilt University have yet to make an announcement. Questions concerning the call on Friday were not immediately answered by them. Although other universities still considering the deal have not yet expressed their stance, leaders of the University of Texas system have previously stated that they were honored to be included.
In a cooperative tone, McMahon mentioned continued federal funding and continued talks with universities after the meeting.
In the social media post, she stated, “American universities drive innovation, power our economy, and prepare young people for rewarding careers and fulfilling lives.”. “The higher education sector can do more to strengthen American leadership in the world and develop the workforce of tomorrow with sustained federal investment and strong institutional leadership. “”.
There are currently no takers.
But on Friday, the University of Virginia chose not to join Trump’s compact, making it the fifth university to do so. The interim president of the university wrote to McMahon and White House officials that awarding federal funds based on any criteria other than merit would compromise the integrity of research and further erode public trust in higher education.
Paul Mahoney wrote, “We are eager to collaborate in order to create alternative, sustainable methods of enhancing higher education.”.
Universities are unsure of the precise benefits of accepting the deal or the consequences of refusing. Trump officials claimed in a letter sent with the compact that it offered “many positive benefits,” including advantageous access to federal funding. In return, universities were asked to sign ten pages of pledges that supported Trump’s policies.
Among other things, the administration requested pledges to remove sex and race from admissions decisions, to embrace the government’s rigidly binary definition of “man” and “woman,” to support conservative viewpoints on campus, and to maintain “institutional neutrality” on current affairs.
The compact stated that if a higher education institution chooses to forgo federal benefits, it is free to create models and values different from those listed 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.”. Universities will be asked to do more and more things once they accept this, and the government may 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.
Academics and others have reacted negatively to 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.
Over 30 higher education groups called on the administration to revoke the compact in a joint statement released Friday. According to the coalition, which was led by the American Council on Education, a group of research universities, the deal would restrict free speech and grant the government previously unheard-of authority over college professors.
According to the statement, “the compact is a step in the wrong direction.”.
In order to conclude investigations into claims of discrimination and to reinstate research funding, the White House recently reached agreements with Brown and Columbia universities that include many of the same terms. 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.
Trump’s primary target in his continuous attempts to gain compliance from influential universities has been Harvard, the first university to publicly reject a series of extensive demands from the government. The White House then attempted to prevent the Ivy League university from accepting international students, canceled its federal contracts, and cut billions of dollars in research funding at Harvard.
The funding cuts were overturned last month by a federal judge in Boston who ruled that they were an unconstitutional breach.
A number of other prominent universities have also seen their funding slashed in the wake of alleged antisemitism investigations.
Officials from the White House characterized the offer as an initiative to influence policy at the U.S. S. campuses even as the government keeps up its enforcement actions.
According to Trump, universities that join will contribute to the establishment of “the Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education” on Sunday. On his Truth Social platform, he stated that it would reform universities that are “now corrupting our Youth and Society with WOKE, SOCIALIST, and ANTI-AMERICAN Ideology.”. “”.
