Vanderbilt suggests interest in continuing discussions on Trump's higher education reform compact
The chancellor of Vanderbilt University indicated that the institution looks forward to continuing discussions, despite neither rejecting nor signing the new compact.
As of Tuesday morning, seven of the nine universities invited by the Trump administration to participate in feedback discussions on a proposed higher education reform compact have reportedly rejected it.
Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeir published an open letter on Monday that appeared to suggest that the school looks forward to continuing discussions regarding the Trump administration’s common-sense education reform compact.
Diermeir wrote that “Our North Star has always been that academic freedom, free expression and independence are essential for universities to make their vital and singular contributions to society.”
At the turn of the month, the Trump administration revealed its roadmap to fixing a broken university system: the Compact for Excellence in Higher Education.
[RELATED: STURGE: Trump’s ‘Compact for Academic Excellence’ brings law and merit back to campus]
The compact includes common-sense reforms such as equality in the admissions process, maintaining a “vibrant marketplace of ideas,” focusing on merit-based hiring, and maintaining institutional neutrality.
Despite neither expressing clear approval nor disapproval of Trump’s plan, several of Diermeir’s points seem to correspond with those made in the compact.
“We also believe that research awards should be made based on merit alone,” Diermeir continued. “This merit-based approach has enabled the scholarly and scientific excellence that has driven American health, security and prosperity for decades. It must be preserved.”
He also clarified that the university’s eventual response will be grounded in its principles—one of which is “institutional neutrality.”
This follows petitions by faculty and student groups at Vanderbilt University urging the institution not to sign the compact. Among these groups were Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United, Vanderbilt Student Government, and the Faculty Senate.
According to The New York Times, seven of the nine universities originally invited to participate in compact feedback discussions rejected the proposal. The University of Texas and Vanderbilt are the only two institutions that appear open to the Trump administration’s compact.
The Times described Vanderbilt’s response as having “reservations.”
