Brown University Rejects Trump Administration’s Academic Compact, Citing Threat to Institutional Autonomy

Providence: Brown University has formally declined to join the Trump administration’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence,” a controversial policy initiative that seeks to bind leading universities to a series of federal guidelines on admissions, hiring, and curriculum in exchange for government benefits. The university’s decision marks a strong stance in defense of academic freedom and follows a similar refusal by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In a detailed letter addressed to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Brown President Christina Paxson stated that the university could not endorse a compact that would compromise its autonomy and restrict the academic liberties that define higher education. Paxson emphasized that signing the compact would conflict wi