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Topline: USC has rejected the Trump administration’s offer for preference in federal funding in exchange for adopting more conservative policies.
Department of Education response: The federal Department of Education said it couldn’t comment while employees were furloughed during the government shutdown.
The university says federal funding threats, higher costs and other issues have led to recent cost cutting, including hundreds of layoffs.
This is a major organizing victory for those of us who teach and study and work at USC,” she said.
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The headline:.
The offer from the Trump administration to receive preference in federal funding in exchange for implementing more conservative policies has been turned down by USC. The administration demanded commitments in a number of areas, including foreign student enrollment and standardized testing, in its 10-point memo, “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”.
Says campus administration: In a letter to U. S. . “Even though the compact would be voluntary, tying research benefits to it would, over time, undermine the same values of free inquiry and academic excellence that the Compact seeks to promote,” stated USC interim president Beong-Soo Kim, in response to the offer. By doing this, USC has joined at least three other universities—Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania—that have turned down the same offer.
Response from the Department of Education: During the government shutdown, the federal Department of Education furloughed its employees, stating that it was unable to comment.
Why it matters: USC’s finances are unlikely to benefit from the move. The school’s budget is $200 million short. The university claims that recent cost reductions, including hundreds of layoffs, have been caused by threats to federal funding, increased expenses, and other problems. A significant sexual assault scandal cost the university over $1 billion in compensation, and fundraising has also decreased recently.
Reaction from the faculty: USC associate professor of writing Kate Levin stated that the choice “was absolutely the right move.”. The school’s American Association of University Professors chapter and campus labor organizations are among the groups that have “persistently pushed for” the rejection, she continued. Everyone joined forces to declare that this agreement with the Trump administration would be disastrous on several fronts. It would have been disastrous for our students’ safety, civil rights, workplace rights, and academic freedom. “This is a significant organizing win for those of us who work, study, and teach at USC,” she said.
Read more: USC orders hiring freezes and cuts in response to budget issues and federal scrutiny.
