Multiple Universities Reject US Academic Compact; Tamil Nadu

Several top U.S. universities — including Brown, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania and USC — have declined the Trump administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” saying its conditions would threaten academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Penn President J. Larry Jameson said the decision followed consultations with faculty, students and trustees, and Gov. Josh Shapiro publicly supported Penn’s choice. The White House offered preferential federal research and grant funding in return for operational requirements such as caps on international students, bans on race- or sex-based admissions and hiring, tuition freezes, standardized-testing mandates and restrictions on campus political activity; critics warn these provisions could politicize research and curtail free expression. The administration says participation is voluntary but has signaled that schools refusing to comply could face investigations or enforcement actions while also expanding outreach to colleges. In India, Tamil Nadu’s Joint Action Council of College Teachers opposed a state bill to convert aided colleges into “Brown field” private universities, calling the proposal a privatization move that would harm poor students and staff.