President Donald Trump signaled on Sunday that his offer of a preferential funding treatment plan in return for commitments to specific policy changes, like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion bans and limits on international student enrollment, will be extended to all higher education institutions.
Designed in part by billionaire financier Marc Rowan, co-founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management, the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” is part of a broader attempt by the Trump administration to pressure universities to comply with its demands.
Northwestern was not part of the original nine elite colleges and research institutions that received the compact on Oct. 1. The White House requested feedback on the compact from those nine colleges by Oct. 20.
Both Brown University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology declined the White House’s initial invitation to sign the agreement. The other seven schools have not officially accepted or rejected the compact.
According to Bloomberg, a White House official said other universities have proactively reached out to participate in the compact.
NU was in talks with the Trump administration over potential settlements in July, per The Wall Street Journal. Since then, talks have slowed, according to the New York Times in September.
The administration still plans to meet with officials from the first nine colleges to receive their feedback and incorporate it into an updated version of the compact it plans to send to interested schools, according to Bloomberg.
“For those Institutions that want to quickly return to the pursuit of Truth and Achievement, they are invited to enter into a forward looking Agreement with the Federal Government to help bring about the Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcement on Oct. 12.
Trump has said that the colleges who reject the initial deal could face investigations into compliance with federal laws, but the extent to which federal funding grants or student aid eligibility will be predicated on acceptance of the accord remains uncertain.
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