Brown University has become the second higher-education institution to turn down an invitation from Donald Trump to sign onto his administration’s 10-page college compact that would overhaul university policies in return for preferential access to federal funding.
The “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” is a proposed agreement that would impose restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and limits on international student enrollment.
Brown’s move comes after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) refused to sign it last week.
In a letter sent on Wednesday to administration officials, Brown’s president, Christina Paxson, said she was concerned that the compact “by its nature and by various provisions would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance”.
She added: “Additionally, a fundamental part of academic excellence is awarding research funding on the merits of the research being proposed. The cover letter describing the compact contemplates funding research on criteria other than the soundness and likely impact of research, which would ultimately damage the health and prosperity of Americans.”
