The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has become the first major university to publicly reject a Trump administration proposal linking federal funding access to conservative campus policies, citing concerns about academic freedom and institutional independence.
In a letter sent Friday to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, MIT President Sally Kornbluth declined the administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which promised preferential access to federal grants in exchange for adopting a series of policy demands. The compact was circulated to nine elite institutions, including Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and the University of Texas.
“The compact includes principles with which we disagree, including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution,” Kornbluth wrote. “Scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”
The proposal would require participating schools to cap foreign student admissions, restrict university leaders from commenting on political matters, and adopt a binary definition of gender. It also called on universities to use standardized tests for most admissions, allow lawful force if necessary to prevent campus protests, and ensure conservative viewpoints could be expressed freely on campus.
Schools that violated any part of the agreement would reportedly be forced to return both federal funds and certain private donations. The administration framed the compact as a way to combat what it views as left wing bias and restrictive speech codes on college campuses.
MIT, which already uses standardized tests in admissions and maintains an international enrollment of around 10 percent, argued that its existing policies reflect the university’s own values rather than political pressure. “We freely choose these values because they’re right,” Kornbluth wrote in her response.
The rejection comes amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and elite universities over campus policies and research funding. Earlier this year, MIT joined a lawsuit challenging federal cuts to health research grants.
California Governor Gavin Newsom warned last week that any university in his state accepting the deal would immediately lose billions in state funding, including Cal Grants. “California will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers, and surrender academic freedom,” he said in a statement designed to mirror the president’s communication style.
Top Democrats in Congress have also called the compact a trap, warning universities that signing would amount to ceding independence to federal political control.
It remains unclear whether any of the nine invited institutions will accept the administration’s terms. Several universities, including Harvard, have faced repeated funding threats from the White House over the past year related to campus protest responses and diversity policies.
The compact represents the administration’s latest effort to reshape American higher education according to its policy priorities, but MIT’s rejection signals that at least some institutions are willing to risk federal funding to maintain autonomy. With billions in research grants and student aid at stake, other universities now face a difficult choice between financial security and institutional independence.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
