(MENAFN) Brown University President Christina Paxson formally refused Wednesday to sign a compact proposed in the Trump administration that would tie federal research funding to the adoption of specific higher education policies, citing serious concerns about potential threats to academic freedom.

In a letter addressed to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and White House officials May Mailman and Vincent Haley, Paxson expressed worry that agreeing to the compact’s conditions “would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance.”

The memorandum, titled “A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” urged nine leading universities to limit international undergraduate enrollment to 15%, prohibit consideration of race or sex in admissions and hiring, and define gender strictly according to biological sex.

In July, Brown secured a $50 million agreement with the US government to restore funding for federally sponsored medical and health sciences research and to resolve three ongoing reviews. Paxson emphasized that the university remains committed to this deal, which preserves Brown’s core principles “in ways that the compact — in any form — fundamentally would not.”

While affirming the university’s willingness to work with federal authorities, Paxson highlighted that the July agreement confirms “the government’s lack of authority to dictate our curriculum or the content of academic speech — a principle that is not reflected in the Compact.”

Another major point of contention, she noted, is the compact’s suggestion that future federal research funding could be granted based on political or ideological alignment rather than scientific merit.

“Therefore, while we value our long-held and well-regarded partnership with the federal government, Brown is respectfully declining to join the Compact,” Paxson concluded.

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