(MENAFN- Live Mint) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) president, Sally Kornbluth, said on Friday (October 10) that she“cannot support” a White House proposal asking nine elite universities to adopt President Donald Trump's political agenda in exchange for favorable access to federal funding.

MIT is among the first universities to take a clear public stance on the controversial plan, which the administration has touted as offering“multiple positive benefits,” including“substantial and meaningful federal grants.”

In a letter addressed to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and other White House officials, Kornbluth said MIT disagrees with provisions of the proposal that would limit free speech and threaten institutional independence.

“Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education,” Kornbluth wrote.

Proposal tied to Trump's political agenda

The 10-page“higher education compact”, circulated last week, asks participating universities to make commitments aligned with the Trump administration's political priorities - covering topics such as admissions, women's sports, free speech, and student discipline.

Universities were asked to provide“limited, targeted feedback” by October 20 and make a final decision by November 21.

Those invited to participate include MIT, Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, the University of Southern California, the University of Arizona, Brown University, the University of Texas, and the University of Virginia.

It remains unclear how or why these specific institutions were selected.

Growing pressure to reject the compact

The proposal has sparked widespread backlash from students, faculty, and higher education groups, who argue it amounts to federal overreach and political coercion.

Some university leaders have gone further, calling the plan“extortion.” In Tucson, the mayor and city council formally opposed the compact, describing it as an“unacceptable act of federal interference.”

Even some conservative voices have voiced alarm. Frederick Hess, education policy director at the American Enterprise Institute, called the compact“profoundly problematic” and said its conditions are“ungrounded in law.”

At the University of Virginia, officials acknowledged that it would be“very difficult” to accept the proposed terms and vowed to uphold“principles of academic freedom and free inquiry.”

Political pushback from states

State leaders have also entered the fray. Democrats in the Virginia Senate threatened to cut funding to the University of Virginia if it signed the agreement.

“The state will not subsidize an institution that has ceded its independence to federal political control,” Democratic leaders said in a letter Tuesday.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a similar warning to USC, signaling that state funds could be at risk if the university accepted the deal.

Trump Administration's justification

The Trump administration described the compact as a way to“strengthen and renew the mutually beneficial relationship” between universities and the federal government.

The letter noted that the relationship has been strained by cuts to campus research funding amid accusations that some universities promote“antisemitism and liberal bias.”

The administration called the compact a“proactive attempt at reform”, inviting nine schools to become“initial signatories.”

MIT emphasizes its own principles

Although Kornbluth's letter stopped short of a formal rejection, she made clear that the proposal's terms are“unworkable.”

She noted that MIT already embraces some of the values cited in the compact, such as merit-based admissions and affordability.

“We freely choose these values because they're right, and we live by them because they support our mission,” Kornbluth wrote.

MIT was one of the first major universities to reinstate standardized test requirements after the COVID-19 pandemic and currently offers free tuition to undergraduates from families earning below $200,000 a year.

What the compact demands

Key conditions of the Trump administration's proposal include:

-A five-year tuition freeze for US students.

-A ban on tuition for students in“hard science” fields at universities with endowments exceeding $2 million per undergraduate.

-Mandatory SAT or ACT requirements for all applicants.

-Elimination of race, sex, and other identity factors from admissions decisions.

-Adoption of the government's binary definition of gender for bathrooms and sports teams.

The compact also seeks to reshape campus culture by promoting conservative viewpoints. It calls for transforming or abolishing“institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”

(With AP inputs)

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