White House asks colleges to sign sweeping agreement to get funding advantage

The Trump administration is laying out a set of operating principles that it wants universities to agree to in exchange for preferential access to federal funds.

- Natalie Andrews & Douglas Belkin

On Wednesday night, the White House sent letters inviting an initial round of nine universities to sign on to the agreement.

(REUTERS)

The expansive 10-point memo, dubbed the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” puts forth a wide-ranging set of terms the administration says are intended to elevate university standards and performance. Universities that sign on will get “multiple positive benefits,” including “substantial and meaningful federal grants,” according to a letter addressed to university leaders.

“Our hope is that a lot of schools see that this is highly reasonable,” said May Mailman, senior adviser for special projects at the White House.

The memo demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions; freeze tuition for five years; cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%; require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test; and quell grade inflation.

Much of the document focuses on the campus political climate.

The compact asks universities to ensure a “vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus” and to bar employees from expressing political views on behalf of their employer, unless the matter affects the school. It seeks to create a more welcoming environment for conservatives, asking colleges to make governance changes and abolish departments that “purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”