USC has declined an offer from President Trump to join the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” that would give the university preferential federal funding in exchange for implementing a number of right-wing policies.
In a letter sent to the United States Secretary of Education Linda McMahon this morning, interim President Beong-Soo Kim laid out the university’s concerns with the compact. Broadly, Kim expressed concerns about receiving research funding that was contingent on “external priorities” of the federal government.
“Notwithstanding these areas of alignment, we are concerned that even though the Compact would be voluntary, tying research benefits to it would, over time, undermine the same values of free inquiry and academic excellence that the Compact seeks to promote,” the letter read.
The compact was sent to nine universities. Thus far, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University and USC have rejected it. The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia have not disclosed whether or not they will join.
In addition to speaking with the President’s Faculty Advisory Committee about the decision, Kim consulted with the Board of Trustees, deans and leadership at various schools on campus, and members of the Academic Senate.
The Undergraduate and Graduate Student Governments also voiced concerns about the compact. A survey by USG showed 93% of respondents disapproved of the compact. On Wednesday, GSG urged the university to reject the offer.
Trump’s offer would have required USC to maintain an undergraduate international student population below 15% — a severe cut to the university’s current 26.1%.
In addition, the compact aimed to create a “marketplace of ideas and civil discourse.” To do so, it required universities to ensure community members could not disrupt or delay instruction or “allow obstruction of access to parts of campus based on students’ race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.”
“Signatories commit to using lawful force if necessary to prevent these violations and to swift, serious, and consistent sanctions for those who commit them,” the compact read.
Kim warned of potential consequences that could arise if universities adhere to outside policy influence.
“Other countries whose governments lack America’s commitment to freedom and democracy have shown how academic excellence can suffer when shifting external priorities tilt the research playing field away from free, meritocratic competition,” Kim wrote.
Diane Winston is a professor of journalism in Annenberg who, as part of the President’s Faculty Advisory Committee, voiced her opinions about the compact to Kim.
Winston said Kim was very aware “that the faculty do not want us to sign the compact.”
“He listened to people’s arguments and opinions,” Winston said. “He urged us to think strategically about why some schools might want to sign, and if you don’t sign, how you say no.”
In the letter, Kim said the university takes its legal obligations “very seriously,” and stated its compliance with laws “prohibiting discrimination in admissions, hiring, and student discipline.”
Kim also noted USC’s contribution to the nation’s military, veterans and “strategic research partnerships with the federal government.”
“We look forward to celebrating these enduring relationships during the 250th anniversary of our country next year,” Kim said.