St. Augustine’s University to Join Trump’s Academic Compact Amid HBCU Concerns
St. Augustine’s University, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, 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, following the rejection of the initiative by several prominent institutions.
Verjanis Peoples, the interim president of the university, sent a letter to David Barker, the Trump administration’s assistant secretary for postsecondary education, outlining the institution’s desire to participate in and shape the compact. The letter, which was also signed by Sophie Gibson, chair of the school’s board of trustees, underscores the university’s commitment to promoting academic excellence, accountability, and transparency across American higher education.
Despite the potential benefits of the compact, the letter highlights several challenges that HBCUs might face. The compact, which is tied to preferential federal funding for participating universities, explicitly prohibits the consideration of race, ethnicity, and other identity-based characteristics in admissions and scholarship decisions, a potential hurdle for HBCUs given their historical role in expanding educational opportunities for Black students and historically marginalized communities. Additionally, the tuition freeze provision, which prevents participating schools from raising tuition for five years after signing, could pose financial difficulties for HBCUs with smaller endowments. The compact’s restrictions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and caps on foreign admissions also raise concerns due to the university’s global partnerships across the African diaspora, which is a core aspect of HBCU tradition.
While the letter acknowledges these challenges, the university remains eager to collaborate with the Trump administration to refine the compact and ensure its implementation aligns with the goals of HBCUs. The Trump administration sought feedback from nine schools, but none of the institutions signed the compact, with notable rejections from MIT, the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and the University of Virginia. Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas at Austin remain noncommittal on the proposal. The letter ends on a positive note, emphasizing the university’s commitment to contributing expertise and shaping the final framework of the compact in a way that reflects the diverse landscape of American higher education.