The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) rejected a Trump administration proposal that detailed policies to be followed in exchange for preferential access to federal funds.
In a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the proposal would “limit freedom of expression” on campus and is inconsistent with the university's core values.
The administration also asked Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas to sign the agreement.
This would lead to universities limiting the admission of international students, limiting commentary by university leaders on political events, and adopting a binary definition of gender.
The U.S. Department of Education has asked schools to review and agree to what it calls the Compact on Academic Excellence in Higher Education. It contained a detailed list of long-standing conservative grievances that have brought the administration into conflict with several other universities.
He asked universities to use standardized tests for most admissions and “commit to using legal force when necessary” to respond to and prevent protests on campus. Schools will also commit to creating an environment in which conservative ideas can be freely expressed.
The schools will agree to cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15 percent, and “no more than 5 percent shall be from any one country.” It requires schools to screen foreign students for hostility toward the United States and report school discipline reports to federal authorities.
Schools will have to return federal funds and private donations to their donors if any of the conditions are violated.
Kornbluth said MIT already used standardized tests, was committed to creating a culture of free expression on campus and that its international enrollment was about 10%.
“We freely choose these values because they are true and we live them because they support our mission,” Kornbluth said in a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon rejecting the proposal released Friday.
The treaty “includes principles with which we disagree, including those that limit freedom of expression and our independence as an institution,” she said. “And, in fact, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based only on scientific merit.”
“In our view, America's leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence… Therefore, with all due respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to solving the problems facing higher education.”
MIT has already faced federal funding cuts under the Trump administration. In February, it joined other universities to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after cutting funding for medical research. He also filed briefs in support of his neighbor Harvard University, which is also suing the administration over funding cuts.
Other universities the government has approached include the University of Arizona, Dartmouth College, Vanderbilt University, the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia.
California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom warned last week that the state would cut funding to any local university that accepted the deal.
“If any California university signs this sweeping agreement, they will instantly lose billions in state funding, including UC grants,” Newsom said. “California will not fund schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers and give up academic freedom.”
