Brown University Joins MIT In Rejecting Trump Administration ‘Compact’

Brown University has become he second higher-education institution following the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to turn down a proposal by the Trump Administration to sign a compact that would commit them to a list of university policies in exchange for access to federal funding.

The Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island rejected the 10-page compact, referred to as the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”, which is aimed at “the proactive improvement of higher education for the betterment of the country,” according to the letter sent out to the nine selected universities.

MIT was the first to reject the proposal last week with President Sally Kornbluth citing that it “includes principles with which we disagree”, it would “restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution” and that “the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”

Brown University’s President, Christina Paxson, also rejected the offer in a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stating she was worried “the Compact by its nature and by various provisions would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance critically compromising our ability to fulfill our mission.

“Additionally, a fundamental part of academic excellence is awarding research funding on the merits of the research being proposed,” she added. “The cover letter describing the compact contemplates funding research on criteria other than the soundness and likely impact of research, which would ultimately damage the health and prosperity of Americans.”

President of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), released a statement saying: “By declining to compromise its core mission, Brown University has affirmed that no amount of federal inducement is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore and dissent. In rejecting the compact, Brown stands as a bulwark for higher education’s sacred commitment to academic freedom and institutional self-governance.”

The compact calls on institutions to adhere to the White House’s priorities on areas revolving around admissions, women’s sports, student discipline, and free speech.

Among the nine universities that were presented with the compact on October 1, only Brown University and MIT have publicly declined. It remains unclear whether the remaining seven have accepted or rejected.

President Donald Trump suggested on his Truth Social platform that other institutions who want “the pursuit of Truth and Achievement” can “enter into a forward looking Agreement with the Federal Government to help bring about the Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”

SEE ALSO: Trump Asks 9 Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Secure Funding Benefits