On Oct. 2, the Trump administration offered nine schools a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” that would grant schools funding advantages if they adhere to certain admissions and operational standards. The College has until Oct. 20 to respond.
The Dartmouth’s Editorial Board firmly believes that the College’s independence and self-governance are an imperative for our educational quality, student experience and institutional direction. On principle, we reject the prospect of being beholden to such policy proposals, regardless of the validity of the requirements.
The compact includes a five-year tuition freeze, restrictions on international student admission, a ban on considering race or sex in admissions and hiring, an institutional neutrality policy, elimination of grade inflation and adherence to the government’s definition of binary gender. The content of these policies should be irrelevant to the College’s response.
Based on College President Sian Leah Beilock’s Oct. 3 message to campus, we are optimistic she will not sign this compact. Although it is unclear exactly how the College will respond to the offer, Beilock wrote, “We will never compromise our academic freedom and our ability to govern ourselves.” We wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.
Dartmouth has long benefited from its relationship with the federal government — whether it be through its endowment tax-exemption, federal funding for research or assistance with student visas. However, this compact comes with stipulations that make the deal a submission rather than a partnership. Only through unbridled autonomy over our institutional policies can we properly execute the mission of our College — which is to improve the condition of our students through a rich, thoughtful liberal arts education that emphasizes an understanding and questioning of the world.
Higher education is under pressure across the country. We do not wish to see Dartmouth go the route of Harvard, sending our international students to court to stay in this country, nor Columbia, sacrificing our departmental curricula to regain funding. We must draw a line to make clear that our College is not for sale.
Out of the other eight schools — the University of Arizona, Brown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas, University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University — only MIT and Brown have rejected the compact. This Editorial Board sincerely hopes that Dartmouth will soon follow suit.
The Editorial Board consists of opinion staff columnists, the opinion editors, the executive editors and the editor-in-chief.
