WASHINGTON — The debate over academic freedom and institutional independence in the United States intensified Saturday after Dartmouth College became the latest university to reject a White House proposal offering expanded federal funding in exchange for meeting specific government conditions.

Dartmouth joined the University of Virginia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California in declining to sign the “Compact for Academic Excellence,” introduced as part of the administration’s broader education initiative.

In a statement, Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock said the college must shape its policies based on its own mission and values.

“I do not believe that a compact — with any administration — is the right approach to achieve academic excellence, as it would compromise our academic freedom, our ability to govern ourselves, and the principle that federal research funds should be awarded to the best, most promising ideas,” Beilock said.

The proposed compact, sent to nine universities, seeks to set new federal standards for academic performance and campus conduct.
White House adviser May Mailman said the agreement would grant signatories preferential access to federal grants and participation in administration-led programs.

Officials also warned that universities violating the compact’s terms could be required to return federal funds received that year.

Several universities, including Harvard and Columbia, are currently challenging related federal funding freezes imposed under similar agreements. — Agencies