Brown University has reached a three-year deal with the Trump administration in order to restore the federal research funding it had previously lost. The Ivy League institution has agreed to several demands made by the administration on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press, but said it has retained its academic independence.
Brown University has agreed to several concessions that align with the Trump administration
These concessions include the adoption of the government’s definition of “male” and “female,” according to the Associated Press. Brown will also remove any consideration of race in applications in order to further the 2023 Supreme Court ruling. The university will no longer use any “proxy for racial admission,” which includes documents such as personal statements or “diversity narratives.” Brown will share data of both admitted students and applicants with the Trump administration such as their race, grades and standardized test scores. The data will receive a “comprehensive audit” by the government.
The university also agreed to address alleged antisemitism on campus by renewing partnerships with Israeli academics and encouraging Jewish day school students to apply. Brown also agreed to hire an outside organization in order to conduct a survey regarding the climate for Jewish students on campus. The organization must be chosen by the end of the year by both Brown and the government.
“The Trump Administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. These measures will ensure students will be judged “solely on their merits, not their race or sex,” she added.
As part of the deal, Brown also agreed to pay $50 million to local workforce development organizations over the span of 10 years.
The government cannot dictate Brown University’s curriculum or academic speech
“The University’s foremost priority throughout discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values and who we are as a community at Brown,” Brown President Christina H. Paxson said. “We stand solidly behind commitments we repeatedly have affirmed to protect all members of our community from harassment and discrimination, and we protect the ability of our faculty and students to study and learn academic subjects of their choosing, free from censorship.”
The deal between Brown and the Trump administration restores previously suspended grants and contracts, as well as $50 million in unpaid federal funding. It also ends three federal investigations concerning alleged antisemitism and racial bias in Brown admissions.
Paxson said the deal was reached as the university faced financial pressure despite investigations finding no law violations or wrongdoing.
Other Ivy League universities have reached similar deals with the Trump administration to secure funding
Columbia University agreed to settle $200 million with the government last week, while Harvard is still in the midst of negotiations with the administration. The University of Pennsylvania agreed to comply with the administration’s demands to change school records regarding the records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, which is an organization of major universities, said it is still unclear whether universities are free of governmental pressure.
“Let’s remember, these are deals. These are not policies,” he said. “I had hoped that the Trump administration, when it came in, was going to be interested in having serious policy discussions about the future of higher education. They’ve yet to do that.”
