Overview
- University of Minnesota’s University Senate voted 123–18 to reject the proposed compact, calling it antithetical to the institution’s mission and urging President Rebecca Cunningham and the Board of Regents to refuse it.
- Penn published President J. Larry Jameson’s letter rejecting the compact, arguing federal funding should be awarded on merit rather than signatory status and criticizing the absence of explicit academic freedom protections and vague compliance penalties.
- Inside Higher Ed reports leaders at 11 universities have publicly declined to sign the current draft, two have said they are providing feedback, and no campus has agreed to participate.
- The draft would require sweeping changes, including banning consideration of race or sex in admissions and hiring, a five-year tuition freeze, a cap on international enrollment, a biology-based definition of gender, and strict institutional neutrality, with preferential federal benefits offered to signatories.
- Penn noted areas where its current policies already align with parts of the document—such as merit-based admissions, reinstated testing, protest rules, and institutional neutrality—while state and campus reactions continue, including praise for Penn’s stance from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.