Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud said the university would not sign President Donald Trump’s higher education compact in its “current form.”
The “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” was sent to nine colleges and universities on Oct. 1. It offers universities preferential treatment for funding, student visa approvals and tax breaks if they agree to certain conditions.
Among the conditions: race, gender and financial status will not be considered during admissions; institutions will not belittle conservative ideologies; and schools, including professors, will remain publicly neutral on political events.
None of the nine original universities or colleges signed the compact. On Oct. 14, Trump opened the compact to all higher education institutions. Several schools, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have said they will not sign the compact. Others are offering feedback to the federal government.
“In its current form, no, Syracuse University is not going to sign the compact,” Syverud said during Wednesday’s University Senate meeting. “There are parts of the compact that are sensible, including, for example, related to veterans and military-connected students. And I know some universities, not Syracuse, are meeting with the White House on the compact. If that should produce any changes, I have to say, given my short-term status as Chancellor, I would have to consult with both the Board of Trustees and this community before saying or doing anything more than I’ve said today about the compact, which is that the university is not going to sign it in its current form.”
In the spring, the American Association of Colleges and Universities put together “A Call for Constructive Engagement” where it stated institutions should be able to admit who they want and teach in a way they see fit.
SU has not joined the over 600 other colleges and universities that signed the letter. SU spokesperson Sarah Scalese said last week SU is not part of the AACU and was not consulted in the creation of the letter.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry was also not involved in writing the letter. The college added its name to the list after reading about it, syracuse.com | The Post-Standard reported.
Syverud will retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The university has begun a search for a new chancellor.
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