USC Expresses Concerns Over Trump administration’s Higher Education Compact
The University of Southern California has formally communicated concerns to Education Secretary Linda McMahon regarding a proposed compact offered by the Trump administration, according to a letter provided to The Times. While acknowledging agreement with the compact’s stated goal of fostering a “vibrant marketplace of ideas,” USC President Carol Folt raised significant reservations about potential impacts on academic freedom adn research integrity.
The compact,presented to USC on October 1st,would tie access to prioritized federal research grants and funding to universities adopting policies aligned with the former president’s political agenda. These stipulations include adhering to a binary definition of gender, restricting recognition of transgender identities, limiting foreign student enrollment, and implementing a five-year tuition freeze for U.S. students. the compact also proposes reinstating standardized testing requirements (SAT/ACT) for all applicants and eliminating considerations of race, sex, and other demographic factors in admissions.
President Folt’s letter emphasized concern that even the voluntary nature of the compact, coupled with the incentive of research funding, could “undermine the same values of free inquiry and academic excellence that the Compact seeks to promote.” She warned that prioritizing external political agendas could “tilt the research playing field away from free, meritocratic competition,” drawing parallels to restrictions on academic freedom in countries lacking America’s commitment to democratic principles.
USC affirmed it’s commitment to “institutional neutrality” and ongoing initiatives to promote civil discourse across the ideological spectrum, stating that a free exchange of ideas is essential for outstanding research, critical thinking, and the growth of civic values.
The compact has already faced rejection from other institutions, including MIT and Brown University, and has sparked controversy within California. Governor Gavin Newsom publicly urged USC to reject the offer, even threatening to withhold state funding from any California university that accepts its terms.
The USC Academic Senate also voiced strong opposition to the compact during a meeting on October 6th, with over 20 faculty members and administrators describing it as “egregiously invalid,” “probably unconstitutional,” “antithetical to principles of academic freedom,” and “a Trojan horse.”
