MIT will not sign onto a White House compact that would have provided expedited access to federal grants, in exchange for meeting President Trump’s political priorities.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth announced the decision in a letter Friday to Education Secretary Linda McMahon that she shared with the campus community.
“In our view, America’s leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence,” Kornbluth wrote. “In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.”
The “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” asked nine universities to meet a variety of demands, from banning the consideration of race and gender in admissions decisions, to requiring undergraduate applicants take the SAT or ACT.
Several of the requirements, Kornbluth write, MIT is already meeting. Admissions at the school are “need blind,” meaning ability to pay isn’t taken into account when accepting students. The SAT or ACT is already required for admission.
The compact also required international enrollment be capped at 15% of a college’s undergraduate student body with no more than 5% of students from a single country. Kornbluth said MIT already caps enrollment of international undergraduates at roughly 10%.
She also said MIT will continue to freedom of expression.
“We must hear facts and opinions we don’t like — and engage respectfully with those with whom we disagree,” she wrote.
Nine universities and colleges received the compact, including Harvard, which is currently in a legal battle over funding. Harvard hasn’t commented yet on the proposal.
Other public and private universities that received the offer include Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, University of Southern California, the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia.
The American Association of University Professors is urging colleges not to sign the compact.