Arizona universities respond to Trump admin's compact

PHOENIX - The University of Arizona (U of A) rejected a deal with the White House, along with several other universities. However, Arizona State University (ASU) said they have not received a compact offer.

What we know:

This isn't the first time the Trump administration has tried to make deals with higher education. This time around, they're asking colleges to give up some of their autonomy in exchange for funding promises.

Before the equipment walked the surface of Mars, it needed to be built and studied by researchers at ASU. Many projects are created thanks to more than $365 million in federal grants for the university last year alone.

Political Analyst Stan Barnes said the stakes are high as the White House tries to convince top universities in the country to sign a compact.

The Trump administration wants several universities, including the U of A and ASU, to agree to ten points, and in exchange, receive preferential treatment on grants. 

Some of the compact ask for a five-year tuition freeze, stopping sex or ethnicity considerations in admissions and a cap on international student enrollment.

What they're saying:

In an exclusive interview with ASU President Dr. Michael Crow for ASU All Access he said they're "in the middle of the conversation." But ASU said it has not received any compact offer at this time.

"What I’m focused on is how do we help the nation to achieve the goals that President Trump has outlined for us, which is to be to have an economy in which everybody’s winning," Crow said.

ASU also released the following regarding the compact agreement.

"ASU has long been a voice for change in higher education and as President Trump’s team seeks new and innovative approaches to serve the needs of the country, ASU has engaged in dialogue and offered ideas about how to do so."

Many other college presidents have declined the deal, including U of A President Suresh Garimella, who submitted principles in response, saying, "A number of the proposed federal recommendations deserve thoughtful consideration as our national higher education system could benefit from reforms that have been much too slow to develop."

But Garimella went on to say academic freedom and merit-based research funding must be preserved. 

Dig deeper:

The Arizona Board of Regents said they support the U of A's response and that universities have a responsibility to provide thoughtful feedback. Crow pointed to the economy in his talks with the White House.

"We need to get back to significant economic growth every year, every year, every year. That can only be done with advanced knowledge, growth-driven enterprises working with the core organizations of our economy. That can only be done with universities at the top of their game, so we’re talking about how to get the universities to the top of their game," Crow explained.

President Trump posted on Truth Social, in part saying, "This will once again have our universities develop talents of our amazing young people to lead lives of success and fulfillment... cultivate a love of country and a culture of achievement."

PoliticsArizona State UniversityUniversity of ArizonaNewsDonald J. TrumpEducation