St. Augustine’s University, a historically Black college in North Carolina, has become the first to express interest in joining President Donald Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. This initiative, which offers preferential federal funding, has faced significant pushback from Ivy League schools and other prominent universities.
Verjanis Peoples, the interim president of St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, sent a letter to David Barker, the Trump administration’s assistant secretary for postsecondary education, confirming the school’s wish to participate in the compact. Sophie Gibson, the chair of the school’s board of trustees, also signed the letter obtained by Fox News Digital, which was sent to the Department of Education on Wednesday.