President Donald Trump’s newly announced “ compact ” with higher education is the latest of a series of political broadsides against American universities. The compact began as a political stunt for nine “select” universities, but reflects a general policy: sign over control or you may not get any federal support for students or research.

Even though we think no one should sign Trump’s agreement, this moment should still be taken seriously. Today, many Americans feel higher education has become distant, inward-looking, and out of step. That frustration is real. The solution the Trump Administration proposes, however, is a dangerous overreach that would irrevocably damage universities, the future of science, and the American economy, rather than revitalizing and strengthening them.

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