The Trump administration’s surprise offer in October sent shock waves through academia. At a time when the government was cutting hundreds of millions in research funds from some schools, Dartmouth and eight other institutions were offered preferential access to federal money. All they had to do was meet sweeping conditions that would profoundly change admissions and hiring practices while limiting international students and freezing tuition for five years.
Academics from coast to coast immediately denounced the proposal as an attempt to divide American higher education. Government professor Brendan Nyhan called the deal “a devil’s bargain.” President Beilock threw cold water on the plan early on, saying she wouldn’t give up Dartmouth’s “fierce independence.” But she didn’t say no, leading to two weeks of speculation about whether Dartmouth might sign the deal.
Ultimately, seven of the nine university leaders, including Beilock, rejected Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. “I do not believe that a compact—with any administration—is the right approach to achieve academic excellence,” she said.
A few weeks later, she cautioned that underlying issues raised by the compact, such as the need for colleges to be held accountable, still exist. During her “State of Dartmouth” address to the general faculty in November, Beilock said, “More than ever, Americans are questioning what we do.” She said it’s fair for Dartmouth and others to be evaluated based on results, but “we must be empowered to call the shots—on what we teach, what we research.”
