From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

Nobody needs MIT anyway now that we have Trump and his tariffs!

Sieg Heil!

MIT rejects Trump administration deal for priority federal funding
MIT is one of the nine schools that were asked to agree to adopt
conservative priorities and policies in exchange for funding perks.

MITAs president turned down the Trump administrationAs offer of priority access for federal funding Friday, publicly releasing a letter that
emphasized the elite universityAs values including free expression and othe core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.o
Last week, the Trump administration offered nine universities a oCompact
for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,o presented as an opportunity
to receive competitive advantages from the federal government and from
private donors for institutions that sign on. It was the latest attempt by
the administration to force colleges into compliance with President Donald TrumpAs ideological priorities, after months of federal research funding freezes and investigations into schoolsA adherence to civil rights laws.
The administration asked the schools to, among other changes, agree to prohibit consideration of factors such as gender, race or political views
in admissions, scholarships or programming; freeze tuition for five years; adopt a strict definition of gender; and maintain neutrality at all levels when representing the institution. In a letter to universities,
administration officials asked for feedback to the compact by Oct. 20.
One higher education leader in Texas immediately said it was an honor to be among the first schools asked to participate, and a White House official
said other colleges had asked to sign on.
Follow TrumpAs second term
But free speech advocates and some experts in higher education warned the sweeping terms of the document would threaten universitiesA independence
and urged universities to turn it down. They also said that rejecting it
would bring considerable risk, as the compact appeared to threaten research funding and access to student loans. Visas for international students and scholars could be yanked from universities that sign the compact and do not comply. oInstitutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below,o the compact stated, oif the institution
elects to [forgo] federal benefits.o
Sally Kornbluth, MITAs president, was the first to publicly turn down the offer. She shared her letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Friday with the campus community. In it, she wrote that she appreciated the chance to meet with McMahon earlier this year oto discuss the priorities we share for American higher education.o MITAs clear values put excellence
above all and MIT prides itself on rewarding merit, she wrote.
The compact asks colleges with endowments exceeding $2 million per undergraduate to agree to offer free tuition to students who major in hard sciences. MITAs admissions do not take family income into account, tuition
is free for families earning up to $200,000, and 94 percent of
undergraduate degrees are in STEM fields, Kornbluth wrote.
She said that many of MITAs values, freely chosen, meet and exceed many of those outlined in the compact. oWe must hear facts and opinions we donAt
like u and engage respectfully with those with whom we disagree.o
However, the compact also includes oprinciples with which we disagree,o Kornbluth wrote, oincluding those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution. And fundamentally, the premise of
the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.o
Kornbluth went on to say in the letter that MIT believes oAmericaAs
leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and
open competition for excellence.o
oIn that free marketplace of ideas, 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,o she wrote.
Spokespeople for the White House and the Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Kornbluth closed by noting that eight decades ago, MIT leaders helped
create the research partnership with the federal government that has
brought oextraordinary benefits for the American people.o
oWe continue to believe in the power of this partnership to serve the
nation.o


https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/10/10/mit-rejects-trump- compact-education-funding/
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2