(Editor's note: this piece was co-authored. Dr. Michael Shires serves as vice chair of Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute. Dr. Christopher Schorr is the director of the Higher Education Reform initiative at the America First Policy Institute.)
As reported in the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has invited nine universities to lead a new campaign to revive American higher education. The proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” would include several of America’s leading public (the University of Arizona, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Virginia) and private institutions (Brown University, Dartmouth College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University).
According to the Journal, the memo calls for these institutions to agree to “ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions; freeze tuition for five years; cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%; require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test; and quell grade inflation.”
The proposal also calls for the institutions themselves to be politically neutral on issues that do not directly affect their operations, to ensure a “vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus,” and to make changes to ensure that departments do not “purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”
None of these proposals is groundbreaking or new, in and of themselves. The Administration has been working aggressively on each of these threads since the President took office, with multiple Executive Orders and direct action by the Department of Education.
The proposed compact is nonetheless remarkable for the much-needed clarity it brings to the issue of the public’s interest in higher education. The American people place billions of their hard-earned dollars and their most precious assets—the lives and minds of their children—in the hands of these universities.
America’s universities—“crown jewels of the American system”—once represented the best aspects of the American character, including equal treatment, meritocracy, free speech, openness to debate, and the pursuit of truth. Recent polling suggests this reputation has been badly battered; however, it can be restored.
The American people believe their hefty investment in these institutions should benefit their children, as well as the nation’s workers, families, and economy. They believe that all students, regardless of their political views, should be allowed to express and advocate for their ideas on campus without fear of recrimination; that all students should be treated fairly, based on merit rather than immutable characteristics; that the curriculum they fund should be rigorous and support students’ future earnings; and the experience should be as affordable as possible.
This is the fundamental inventory of what an American university should be. This compact is voluntary—it leaves the door open for other institutions to opt out, and to pursue other missions. However, it clarifies the return the American people expect on their investment of billions of tax dollars in subsidies.
Not surprisingly, some elites have already lined up to oppose the proposal, even before many of its details have been made public. The New York Times highlighted the compact’s proposed tuition freeze and enforcement of sex-based gender definitions, which is already an official government policy.
Returning to the Journal piece, Ted Mitchell, President of the American Council on Education, which represents some 1,600 universities, finds the idea of a compact “troubling,” especially the idea that the federal government has an interest in promoting a vigorous and open intellectual climate on college campuses. Strangely, he suggests the implications of this interest are “horrifying” for free speech.
Of course, “horrifying” is a far better descriptor for the existing campus speech climate. Last month, millions of people viewed repeated clips of Charlie Kirk’s brutal assassination. That horrific assassination was a result of the spirit of intolerance towards dissenting perspectives that pervades American universities today.
Less horrific but still inexcusable examples include rampant viewpoint discrimination against conservative faculty, job applicants, students, and speakers. The apoplexy with which some students and faculty regard dissenting voices on college campuses, like Charlie Kirk’s, is a testament to their shallow commitments to intellectual diversity and open debate.
Mitchell’s dismissal of the problem of campus culture is precisely why this compact (and more) is needed to restore American universities to the intellectual freedom and greatness that made them the cornerstone of much of America’s global success.
It is also why survey after survey shows families believing that college is not worth the cost and investment. Even our business and technology leaders are encouraging students to forgo college for lives of purpose and meaning. College participation rates are down, especially for young men.
For the nine universities identified by the Trump Administration, this compact provides immediate benefits in the form of priority access to grants. More importantly, it provides them with an opportunity to demonstrate their support for foundational American values, their belief in the mission of higher education, and their respect for their role as stewards of the American people’s generous investment in them.
Ultimately, America’s entire higher education funding and accountability systems must be brought into alignment with the common-sense American values featured in this compact.
President Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” is a great start on the path to re-establish the trust between American families and taxpayers and its universities.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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