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Todd Wolfson and Randi Weingarten
American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers
The Trump administration is back with a second version of its higher education compact. The reason is simple: The first one failed—and failed for good reason. This compact was not about investing in higher education or helping students succeed—it’s all about continuing culture wars. Faculty, students, staff, alumni, and unions said ‘no’ the first time the Trump administration attempted to remake higher education through political pressure.
Now the administration is back with Compact 2.0, formally titled "A National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards." It includes some rhetorical flourishes intended to make it seem less threatening to teaching, learning and research. But make no mistake: It once again asks colleges and universities to align themselves with a far-right agenda at the expense of students’ education and the public’s well-being.
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For the good of the Nation, university leadership must seize this occasion to drive essential reforms—a process some began by adopting positions of institutional neutrality and improving policies related to campus protests. Before the end of 2026, I call on every postsecondary institution to describe to the American public your commitments to rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research, and national service—commitments that make our universities a bedrock institution of the American republic.
On July 29, Vanderbilt University’s board of trustees announced the release of “The University And Its Purpose: A Declaration of First Principles.” Under the guidance of Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, this declaration marks an alarming threat to free expression and represents the worst attack yet by a Board of Trustees against academic values.
