
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The University of Pennsylvania on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s offer of preferred status for federal funds in exchange for influence over hiring, admissions, and even curriculum.
University of Pennsylvania will not sign what the Trump Administration calls the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, in a statement, University President J. Larry Jameson said his office provided focused feedback to the Trump Administration on areas of alignment and what he termed “substantive concerns.”
“ At Penn, we are committed to merit-based achievement and accountability,” said Jameson in a statement to the Penn community.
The compact requires colleges to ban the use of race and sex in hiring, admissions, and financial aid, limit international students to 15% of total enrollment and commit to the administration’s definition of gender, among other provisions.
Jameson said the decision was based on input from faculty, alumni, trustees, students, staff, and others. The Faculty Senate voted by a large majority earlier this week to urge the school to say no, a sentiment echoed by local leaders, including city councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who praised the move.
“President Jamison and the Board of Trustees decided to do the right thing. There was no other answer to this proposal than No,” Gauthier said.
“This proposal would have put the University of Penn in the position to be a tool for the President's racist, anti Democratic agenda. The only answer was no, and I'm glad that they came forward and did the right thing.”
Penn’s Chapter of the American Association of University Professors called the compact a threat to the mission of the school.
Penn joins Brown and MIT in rejecting the compact. All three were among the nine universities initially offered the agreement, though the Trump administration has since opened it up to all colleges nationwide.
It's unclear how Penn’s decision will impact its existing federal funding.