Douglas Belkin & Natalie Andrews:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology became the first university to reject a sweeping proposal from the Trump administration offering colleges funding advantages in exchange for far-reaching campus reforms.
In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon Friday, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the proposal—called the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”—would restrict freedom of expression and MIT’s independence. The proposal is inconsistent with the school’s belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone, she said.
“In our view, America’s leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence,” Kornbluth wrote. “The people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.”
The compact, sent out to nine colleges last week the White House perceived as “good actors,” proposed a wide-ranging set of terms the administration says are intended to elevate university standards and performance.
The compact demands that schools 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.
Much of the document focuses on the campus political climate. Critics said the language was imprecise, including a mandate to get rid of departments that belittle conservative ideas.
The school’s policy of prioritizing American students is especially valuable because of how much elite math and science is taught and researched there. MIT notes that in the “free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences.”
“The document also includes principles with which we disagree,” Ms. Kornbluth writes, “including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution.” On free speech, MIT says it believes “we must hear facts and opinions we don’t like and engage respectfully.” It already has its own Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom.
Will the school be punished for not signing on? That’s a serious question since the Administration has shown it can be vindictive.