Trump tries bribery.

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."

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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."

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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

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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."

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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."

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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)

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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)

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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

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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

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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/

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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

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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

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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

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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."

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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

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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."

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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

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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/

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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

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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

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