Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe / Getty
Oct. 4, 2025
In The Atlantic, Kevin Carey argues that the Trump administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence” would effectively dismantle university autonomy by forcing institutions to adopt a political agenda in exchange for federal benefits.
The Trump administration this week tried to make nine elite research universities an offer they can’t refuse. In exchange for vaguely defined funds, MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, Vanderbilt, the University of Virginia, and others were asked to sign a nine-page “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” that amounts to complete adoption of the MAGA higher-education agenda. If they don’t agree? “The institution elects to forego federal benefits,” seemingly including federal contracts and access to student loans.
Read more here.