White House Proposes 'Compact for Academic Excellence' to Reshape Higher Education
The White House has proposed a 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education', asking nine prestigious universities, including Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, and Dartmouth College, to adopt specific political priorities in exchange for favorable access to federal funds and other benefits.
The compact, sent to both public and private institutions, urges universities to halt considering race, gender, and other demographic factors in admissions, and mandates undergraduate applicants to take the SAT or ACT. Signatories would gain priority access to federal grants, White House events, and official discussions. However, they must ensure their campuses foster a 'vibrant marketplace of ideas' with no dominant ideology and prevent disruptions to classes or libraries.
To enforce the compact, the Justice Department would oversee adherence, with violators facing a one-year loss of access to benefits. Notably, the compact also requires universities to adopt the government's definition of gender for campus facilities and sports teams. Additionally, institutions must freeze tuition for U.S. students for five years and waive tuition for 'hard science' students with large endowments. This memo signals a shift from punitive to rewarding incentives for universities to adopt Trump's political wish list.
The 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education' is a significant proposal that, if adopted, would reshape university admissions, campus culture, and tuition policies. It remains to be seen how universities will respond to these sweeping changes and whether the Justice Department will effectively enforce the compact's terms.
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