petersuberOct 2, 2025

Trump tries bribery.

"Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference."
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/us/politics/trump-college-funding.html

"The White House on Wednesday sent letters to nine of the nation’s top public and private universities, urging campus leaders to pledge support for President Trump’s political agenda to help ensure access to federal research funds."

#Arizona, #Brown, #Dartmouth, #MIT, #Penn, #USC, #Texas, #Vanderbilt, #Virginia

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference

Demands sent to nine top schools included pledging to freeze tuition for five years and to commit to strict definitions of gender.

The New York Times
Show threadpetersuberOct 4, 2025

Update. The American Association of Colleges & Universities (#AACU, @aacu) just issued a statement on #Trump's “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”.
https://www.aacu.org/newsroom/aac-u-statement-on-the-trump-administrations-compact-for-academic-excellence-in-higher-education

"College and university presidents cannot bargain with the essential freedom of colleges and universities to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom. They cannot trade academic freedom for federal funding—and should not be asked to do so."

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

AAC&U Statement on the Trump Administration’s “Compact for… | AAC&U

AAC&U Statement on the Trump Administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”

AAC&U
Show threadpetersuberOct 4, 2025

Update. The #UCalifornia Academic Council unanimously called on the UC President and Regents "to unequivocally reject governmental demands that compromise institutional autonomy and academic freedom."
https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/reports/council-chair-to-president-council-statement-ucla-demand-letter.pdf

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics #Universities

Show threadpetersuberOct 4, 2025

Update. The NYTimes has a good collection of institutional responses as of Oct 2, the day after Trump sent his letter to nine colleges and universities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/us/trump-universities-compact-funding.html

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Trump Asked Universities to Sign a Compact. Some See a Trap.

Trump officials want universities to sign on to conservative priorities to get special treatment. Some in higher education say agreeing would end academic freedom.

The New York Times
Show threadpetersuberOct 7

Update. Also see the American Council of Learned Societies (#ACLS) statement on the Trump compact.
https://www.acls.org/news/acls-statement-regarding-white-house-compact-for-academic-excellence-in-higher-education/

"Universities and colleges have one mission: to advance knowledge…Interfering with that process by forcing knowledge to pass through a political filter is a tactic adopted by the Soviet Union and other authoritarian states. The White House is dressing up its compact as a reasonable corrective to what it views as problems in campus culture. Let no one be deceived. This proposal imposes government censorship on academia. It is anti-American, and it weakens our democracy by devaluing academic expertise."

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

ACLS Statement Regarding White House “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”

ACLS stands firmly against this latest White House effort to divide faculties by giving special privileges to students in “hard science programs” and its demand that institutions abolish “units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”

ACLS
Show threadpetersuberOct 7

Update. Forgot to add this important response last week:
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/02/governor-newsom-no-state-funding-for-sell-out-universities/

"Governor #GavinNewsom today [Oct 2] issued the following statement in response to the White House’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which ties access to federal funding to radical conservative ideological restrictions on colleges and universities: 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."

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #California #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Governor Newsom: No state funding for sell-out universities | Governor of California

State of California

Governor of California
Show threadpetersuberOct 10

Update. The Chronicle of Higher Education is tracking comments from the nine universities that received the Trump threat-bribe.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-white-house-sent-its-compact-to-9-universities-heres-what-their-administrators-and-faculty-are-saying
(#paywalled)

Summary: Large faculty groups at each institution urge administrators to reject the deal.

Administrators are saying little beyond the fact that they received the letter and are discussing what to do about it -- with one exception.

The exception is UTexas, where the chair of the Board of Regents, Kevin Eltife (a retired Republican State Senator), said Texas is "honored [to be] named as one of only nine institutions in the US selected by the Trump administration for potential funding advantages under its new 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education'. We enthusiastically look forward to engaging with university officials and reviewing the compact immediately."

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberOct 10

Update. #MIT just became the first university to reject Trump's compact. Here's the letter from MIT President #SallyKornbluth to faculty, dated today.
https://orgchart.mit.edu/letters/regarding-compact

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

Show threadpetersuberOct 11

Update. After #MIT said 𝗻𝗼 to the Trump compact (yesterday), the Chronicle of Higher Education asked the other eight targeted universities for their reactions.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/what-could-mits-rejection-of-trumps-proposed-compact-mean-for-the-rest-of-higher-ed
(#paywalled)

"Asked for reactions to MIT’s announcement, spokespeople for Brown University, Dartmouth College, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University had no new information to share. The other recipients — the Universities of Arizona and Pennsylvania — didn’t respond."

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

What Could MIT’s Rejection of Trump’s Proposed ‘Compact’ Mean for the Rest of Higher Ed?

President Sally Kornbluth’s decision drew mixed reactions on the campus, while national observers hoped other universities would follow suit.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
Show threadpetersuberOct 14

Update. "Trump Offers All Colleges Preferential Funding Plan Rejected by MIT."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-13/trump-invites-all-colleges-to-join-compact-after-mit-s-rejection
(#paywalled)

"The Trump administration is inviting all US colleges to participate in a compact — initially rejected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — that would grant preferential federal funding in return for commitments to specific policy changes like DEI bans, according to a person familiar with the matter…Trump has said that colleges who reject the deal will face investigations into compliance with federal laws, but the extent to which federal research grants or student aid eligibility will be predicated on acceptance of the accord remains murky."

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberOct 14

Update. If you've heard that Trump "offered" his compact to all US colleges and universities, and your institution didn't receive the Trump letter, here's why. Trump didn't use letters. He used this Truth Social post:
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115362973187528235

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that, "A source at the Department of Education confirmed Tuesday that a Truth Social post from President Trump was intended to be an invitation to higher ed. 'We welcome any institution that wants to adopt these principles to sign the compact,' wrote the source, who declined to go on the record."
https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-trump-agenda/trump-welcomes-any-institution-to-sign-onto-compact-outlining-his-priorities
(#paywalled)

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberOct 15

Update. #Dartmouth has not yet made a public statement rejecting the Trump compact. But two Dartmouth sources "who asked to speak anonymously…said they participated in a meeting with President Sian Leah Beilock in which…she said 'she would not sign the compact as written.'"
https://www.chronicle.com/article/dartmouths-president-balks-at-trump-compact-sources-say-as-feds-expand-offer-to-any-institution
(#paywalled)

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberOct 15

Update. #Brown just rejected the Trump compact. Here's the public letter from Brown President Christina Paxson.
https://www.brown.edu/sites/default/files/brown-response-federal-compact-10-15-2025.pdf

"Brown’s existing agreement with the federal government expressly affirms the government’s lack of authority to dictate our curriculum or the content of academic speech -- a principle that is not reflected in the Compact."

h/t #WilliamCross

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberOct 17

Update. #Penn just rejected the Trump pact (Oct 16). Here's the public letter from UPenn President J. Larry Jameson.
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/announcements/update-penns-response-compact-academic-excellence

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

An Update on Penn’s Response to the Compact for Academic Excellence | Penn Today

To the Penn Community:For 285 years, Penn has been anchored and guided by continuous self-improvement, using education as a ladder for opportunity, and advancing discoveries that serve our community, our nation, and the world.

Penn Today
Show threadpetersuberOct 17

Update. The U of Southern California just rejected the Trump compact (Oct 16). Here's the public letter from #USC interim president Beong-Soo Kim.
https://we-are.usc.edu/2025/10/16/update-from-interim-president-kim/

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Update from Interim President Kim

Earlier today, I sent this letter to the U.S. Department of Education regarding the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. I appreciate the various points of view shared with me by many members of our community. Although USC has declined to join the proposed Compact, we look forward to contributing our perspectives, insights, and Trojan values to an important national conversation about the future of higher education.CommunityEmployeesFacultyPresidentStudents

We Are SC
Show threadpetersuberOct 18

Update. The U of Virginia just rejected the Trump compact (Oct 17). Here's the public letter from #UVa interim President Paul Mahoney.
https://news.virginia.edu/content/community-message-interim-president-paul-mahoney

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Community message from interim President Paul Mahoney

On Friday, the University of Virginia sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education saying it would not seek special treatment in pursuing its foundational goals. Shortly after, Mahoney sent this message to the University community.

UVA Today
Show threadpetersuberOct 19

Update. #Dartmouth just rejected the Trump compact (Oct 18). Here's the public letter from Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock.
https://president.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/10/dartmouths-feedback-compact

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Dartmouth's Feedback on the Compact | Office of the President

Show threadpetersuberOct 21

Update. The U of Arizona just rejected the Trump compact (Oct 20). Here's the public letter from #UArizona President Suresh Garimella.
https://president.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2025-10/Suresh-Garimella-to-Sec-Linda-McMahon.pdf

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberOct 21

Update. From Barbara Snyder, President of the Association of American Universities (#AAU), on the Trump compact:
https://www.aau.edu/newsroom/press-releases/statement-aau-president-administrations-higher-education-compact

"Federal support for higher education must never be tied to ideological alignment with any administration."

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Statement of AAU President Barbara R. Snyder on the Administration’s Higher Education Compact | Association of American Universities (AAU)

AAU President Barbara R. Snyder issued a statement regarding the administration's recently proposed higher education compact.

Association of American Universities (AAU)
Show threadpetersuberOct 21

Update. #Vanderbilt has not yet accepted or rejected the Trump compact. But Chancellor Daniel Diermeier just released a vague and inconclusive open letter on where it stands.
https://t.e2ma.net/message/tu4xiq/5vxmu1ke

"Last Friday, Vanderbilt participated in a discussion with members of the administration and other university leaders about shaping a productive process for providing such comments. We expect to share our input with the administration through that process. Our response will be grounded in our long-held principles and values…Vanderbilt believes deeply in the power of constructive dialogue."

The letter is undated (why?) but the Chronicle reports that it was made public on Oct 20.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/compact-live-updates-more-colleges-weigh-responses-as-deadline-for-feedback-looms

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

email : Webview : Vanderbilt and the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education

Show threadpetersuberOct 21

Update. Like Vanderbilt (above), #WashingtonU has not not accepted or rejected the Trump compact. But also like Vanderbilt, its Chancellor, Andrew Martin, just released a vague and inconclusive statement on where it stands (Oct 20).
https://andrewdmartin.washu.edu/washu-to-join-conversation-about-the-future-of-higher-education/

"We believe it is in the best interest of our university, and higher education more broadly, for us to participate constructively, share our experience and expertise, and help inform policies that strengthen the nation’s research and education ecosystem…We firmly believe meaningful progress will best be achieved through open, ongoing dialogue."

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

WashU to join conversation about the future of higher education - Office of the Chancellor

WashU has been invited by the federal administration to participate in a conversation about the future of higher education, and that we have accepted the invitation.

Office of the Chancellor
Show threadpetersuberOct 23

Update. #WashingtonU has now rejected the Trump compact. Here's the public letter from Chancellor Andrew Martin (Oct 22).
https://wustl.app.box.com/s/f3wwjqkrq9x1ovyz28d3r3cxmo8kwlk9

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Response to Faculty Senate Council.pdf | Powered by Box

Show threadpetersuberOct 26

Update. #SyracuseU will also reject the Trump compact, according to an Oct 22 statement by Chancellor Kent Syverud to the University Senate. Apparently there is not a public letter announcing the decision.
https://dailyorange.com/2025/10/syverud-declines-trump-compact-senators-pass-portfolio-review-resolution/

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Syverud declines Trump ‘compact,’ senators pass portfolio review resolution

Syracuse’s University Senate questioned Chancellor Syverud and Provost Agnew about the Trump administration’s ‘compact’ for universities.

The Daily Orange
Show threadpetersuberOct 28

Update. "#NewCollege of #Florida Is Ready To Be The First To Sign President Trump’s Higher Education Compact."
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/861953402/new-college-of-florida-is-ready-to-be-the-first-to-sign-president-trump-s-higher-education-compact

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

New College of Florida Is Ready To Be The First To Sign President Trump’s Higher Education Compact

Office of the Vice President of Communications Chief Marketing Officer

EIN Presswire
Show threadpetersuberOct 31

Update. The University of Kansas provost says that #UKansas will not sign the Trump compact.
https://www.kansan.com/news/ku-won-t-sign-trump-s-higher-education-compact-was-never-invited-to-provost-says/article_aaea8512-a72a-4c9f-b45e-44f38dd835d4.html

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberNov 1

Update. #ValleyForgeMilitaryCollege just offered (Oct 28) to sign the Trump compact. Here's the open letter from its President and Chairman of the Board to the Trump Dept of Education.
https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/vfmc-letter-trump-admin.pdf

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberNov 21

Update. Five faculty from five institutions argue that "Colleges Must Reject Trump’s ‘Compact’ To Protect Our Democracy."
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2025-11-20/college-university-trump-law-professors-compact-opinion

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics #Universities

Show threadpetersuber

Update. The U of Virginia surveyed its community in October on how it should respond to the #Trump compact. The Chronicle of Higher Education got the results through a public-records request.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/uva-asked-its-community-to-weigh-in-on-trumps-compact-heres-what-they-said
(#paywalled)

" 'Nope. Nothing. Nada.' 'Not at all.' 'No'. 'NO.' 'NO!'… Those curt replies were broadly representative of the responses as a whole…The F-word is used nine times…There were nearly 200 references to #UVa’s founder, #ThomasJefferson, almost all of which were in service of the argument that the compact went against his vision of the university. 'Stand your ground,' one wrote. 'You know it’s what Thomas Jefferson would have wanted.' "

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon
#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #TrumpVResearch #Universities #UVa #USPol #USPolitics

UVa Asked Its Community to Weigh in on Trump’s Compact. Here’s What They Said.

A survey seeking opinions on the controversial document elicited more than 2,000 responses — overwhelmingly in opposition.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
Dec 3 at 6:15pmWeb
Show threadpetersuberDec 19

Update. The American Enterprise Institute (#AEI) defends the #Trump compact and offers some improvements.
https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/the-trump-administrations-higher-education-compact-eight-proposals-for-delivering-on-its-vision/

After the compact was introduced (Oct 2025), "a rough consensus emerged that the Trump administration had identified crucial problems but that its solution needed work. This project is an attempt to do some of that work."

By "rough consensus" I suppose AEI means "rough consensus of the people and orgs we read." If so, take that as a sign of how it reads.

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Show threadpetersuberFeb 2

Update. Billionaire #MarcRowan was the driving force behind the #Trump compact with universities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/us/billionaire-marc-rowan-trump-deal-universities.html

It helps to know that Rowan is the owner of the for-profit University of Phoenix...
https://www.republicreport.org/2025/billionaire-behind-trump-pressure-campaign-on-colleges-owns-predatory-university-of-phoenix/

...which has paid hundreds of millions to settle more than a dozen claims of fraud.
https://vetsedsuccess.org/university-of-phoenix-recent-actions-and-concerns/

Now we learn that Rowan has a history of talking business with #JeffreyEpstein.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/business/dealbook/epstein-files-business.html

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Marc Rowan, a Billionaire Financier, Is Behind Trump’s Deal for Universities

The conservative ideas behind the Trump administration’s “compact” for universities were developed in part by Marc Rowan, a wealthy financier who has sought to shape higher education.

The New York Times
Show threadpetersuberMar 11

Update. And now the Trump admin is lifting regulations on for-profit universities. The article doesn't mention Marc Rowan, but "the University of Phoenix is rising from the ashes [and] staging a comeback, partly with help from Washington."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/03/10/trump-for-profit-colleges-university-of-phoenix/

"Some Democrats and education advocates argue for-profit schools have historically accounted for a disproportionate number of complaints and need more scrutiny. They also worry the Trump administration’s pledge to eliminate the Education Department could make it harder to investigate complaints. 'The Trump administration is making it easier for for-profit colleges to scam students,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said in a statement to The Washington Post."

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #Trump #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

For-profit colleges, once accused of duping students, hope to rebound under Trump

The University of Phoenix expects enrollment to grow as the Education Department softens oversight of for-profit schools, despite industry concerns.

The Washington Post
Show threadnoplasticshowerMar 11
@petersuber pathetic. Suckers born every minute I guess.
Show threadDP0Mar 11
@petersuber Sounds logic. After all, the #OrangeAyatollah once ran a for-profit scam University.
Show threadEdgarDec 20

@petersuber Again, the Trump administration has a solution in need of a problem. As before, the solution is a hammer to break stuff.

Shame to the cowards at universities who capitulate. I learned to think independently through higher ed. What are you demonstrating to your students and the wider community?

Show threadLevkaDec 6

@petersuber

Bypass the paywall:

https://archive.ph/Z8e3I