Historically Black University Expresses Interest in Trump’s Education Compact
St. Augustine’s University has become the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to express interest in joining President Donald Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. This follows declines from numerous Ivy League and esteemed state universities, including MIT, the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, the University, and the University of Virginia. The Trump administration sought input from nine schools, with a deadline for feedback set for October 20, yet no colleges have officially joined the compact.
Verjanis Peoples, the interim president of St. Augustine’s University, and Sophie Gibson, the chair of the school’s board of trustees, signed a letter to David Barker, the Trump administration’s assistant secretary for postsecondary education, expressing the institution’s desire to participate in and shape the compact. The letter underscores the need for the administration to address the unique challenges faced by HBCUs under the compact’s restrictions, particularly regarding race-conscious admissions and tuition freezes.
The compact’s policy explicitly bars consideration of race, ethnicity, and other identity-based characteristics in admissions and scholarship decisions, which poses a potential conflict with the mission of HBCUs to expand access for Black students and historically marginalized communities. Further, the compact’s tuition freeze, which prohibits schools from raising tuition for five years after signing, may be a significant hurdle for HBCUs, given their typically smaller endowments compared to private schools and large state universities.
The university also noted concerns about the compact’s restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and its caps on foreign student admissions, which could pose challenges for institutions with global partnerships, such as St. Augustine’s. Despite these challenges, the university expressed eagerness to participate in the initiative as a constructive partner and early-engagement institution, advocating for a collaborative approach that respects both the goals of the compact and the unique role of HBCUs in American higher education.
Trump’s administration has faced significant pushback from academia, with multiple universities declining to join the compact. This development reflects the ongoing debate over the role of race in admissions and the broader implications of the compact’s policies on higher education in the United States.