Penn rejects Trump admin's preferential funding proposal
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PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump's alma mater, has refused to sign the administration's preferential funding proposal, becoming the third university to do so, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Brown University rejected the deal on Wednesday. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) refused to sign it last week.
The deal was initially offered to just nine universities, Penn being one of them, but the administration opened it up to all U.S. colleges and universities earlier this week. The other six schools the compact was initially offered to have yet to say whether they plan to sign or not.
The compact asks colleges and universities, among many things, to voluntarily agree to do away with departments "that purposefully punish, belittle and even spark violence against conservative ideas." It also asks schools that sign to agree to rejecting foreign applicants "who demonstrate hostility to the United States, its allies or its values."
In exchange, the White House says these schools would be given "[funding] priority when possible, as well as invitations to collaborate with the White House." The compact does not detail specific benefits, including how much additional funding the schools would be eligible for if they signed.
Penn ‘respectfully declines’
What they're saying:
The compact has drawn backlash from higher education faculty and experts, who have called for it to be "forcefully rejected by all self-respecting institutions."
In a statement provided to the Penn Community and obtained by FOX 29, Penn President J. Larry Jameson said that he "informed the U.S. Department of Education that Penn respectfully declines to sign the proposed compact."
"For 285 years, Penn has been anchored and guided by continuous self-improvement, using education as a ladder for opportunity, and advancing discoveries that serve our community, our nation and the world," the statement reads.
Jameson added that the university did provide the Trump administration with feedback regarding the compact after seeking input from "faculty, alumni, trustees, students, staff and others who care deeply about Penn."
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement that Penn "made the right decision" in rejecting the compact. In doing so, he said that the university maintains "its full academic independence and integrity in the face of the Trump administration's attempts to dictate what private colleges and universities teach and use the long arm of the federal government to censor ideas with which they disagree."
"Penn has long been a crucial part of the fabric of this Commonwealth and needs no special consideration from the federal government – it needs only to be measured by its long legacy of excellence and its continued commitment to supporting innovation and economic growth in Pennsylvania," he added.
The Source: Information above was sourced from Inside Higher Ed, Brown University, Time Magazine, The Daily Pennsylvanian, social media and a statement from Penn President J. Larry Jameson.