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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Friday rejected the Trump administration’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which would have required sweeping changes on campus in exchange for a funding advantage in federal grant awards.
The 10-point memo was provided to nine higher learning institutions last week, requiring reforms such as a rewiring of the admissions process by adjusting the consideration of race or ethnicity, student grading and demanding that transgender women be excluded from women’s locker rooms and sports teams.
The document “includes principles with which we disagree, including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution,” reads a Friday letter from MIT President Sally Kornbluth to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
“And fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone,” she added.
MIT is the first institution to publicly rebuke the offer, in spite of its ties to preferential funding.
The eight other schools asked to sign the compact were: Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia, a White House official said last week.
Those who signed the pact also were asked to limit foreign student enrollment to 15 percent, freeze their effective tuition rates for five years, post the earnings of students who graduated with certain majors and expand opportunities for service members.
Kornbluth said the school believes America’s leadership in science and innovation relies upon “independent thinking and open competition.”
“In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education,” she added.
Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Golden State schools that sign the agreement would have their state funds reduced.
“IF ANY CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY SIGNS THIS RADICAL AGREEMENT, THEY’LL LOSE BILLIONS IN STATE FUNDING — INCLUDING CAL GRANTS — INSTANTLY. CALIFORNIA WILL NOT BANKROLL SCHOOLS THAT SELL OUT THEIR STUDENTS, PROFESSORS, RESEARCHERS, AND SURRENDER ACADEMIC FREEDOM,” Newsom said in a statement.
MIT’s decision follows a stark rebuke to the Trump administration made earlier this year by their neighboring school, Harvard University. Harvard saw sharp cuts to federal funding over allegations of a campus culture that welcomed antisemitism.
The school denied the claims and challenged the decision to slash funding in court, but is negotiating with the administration in the meantime, according to The New York Times.
Columbia University faced similar pressure from the Trump administration after students drew national attention last year for campus protest encampments against Israel’s actions during its war with Hamas.
The school ultimately decided to settle out of court, adhering to some of the White House’s demands.
