The University of Pennsylvania’s president announced on Thursday that Penn has declined to endorse the Trump administration’s compact, which proposed a leg up in federal funding in exchange for committing to particular policies across university governance and campus life.
In a letter addressed to the Penn community, President J. Larry Jameson said he informed the U.S. Department of Education early on Thursday that he “respectfully” rejected the current offer and provided “focused feedback” to the department that highlighted “areas of existing alignment as well as substantive concerns” the university continues to have.
“At Penn, we are committed to merit-based achievement and accountability,” Jameson said in the letter. “The long-standing partnership between American higher education and the federal government has greatly benefited society and our nation. Shared goals and investment in talent and ideas will turn possibility into progress.”
Penn joins Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in declining the compact, which touted “multiple positive benefits” for colleges that agreed to sign on.
Penn and Brown had struck earlier deals with the Trump administration to resolve civil-rights concerns. In July, Penn agreed to strip official records from a transgender swimmer, Lia Thomas, who had competed on the women’s swim team three years prior, send “a personalized letter of apology to each impacted female swimmer,” and “adopt biology-based definitions for the words ‘male’ and ‘female.’”
Trump’s 10-page proposal was originally sent to nine prominent research universities on October 1, with the Trump administration requesting feedback by October 20. Last Sunday, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that he welcomed “any institution” willing to accept the offer, which The Chronicle later confirmed was an open invitation to join.
The compact has generated widespread concern among higher-education leaders and faculty over its potential intrusion on academic and institutional freedom. Some stipulations of the agreement include eliminating departments that could “punish, belittle and even spark violence against conservative ideas,” capping international enrollment, freezing tuition for five years, and reinstating standardized testing. One provision even calls for controlling grade inflation.
The Universities of Arizona, Southern California, Virginia, and Texas at Austin, as well as Vanderbilt University and Dartmouth College have yet to respond publicly to Trump’s proposal. The Chronicle reported Tuesday that Dartmouth’s president had told faculty members she would not sign the compact in its current form.
