Brown University declines to join federal Compact

In a Wednesday, Oct. 15, letter to federal officials, Brown University President Christina H. Paxson declined the invitation for Brown to join the White House’s proposed Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

Paxson led the letter asserting the importance of a strong relationship between the government and higher education and noted that Brown and the government have a resolution agreement in place that already commits the University to a set of principles. However, she contrasted that existing agreement with the Compact, which does not include safeguards for protecting academic speech.

“I am concerned that the Compact by its nature and by various provisions would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance, critically compromising our ability to fulfill our mission,” Paxson wrote. “Additionally, a fundamental part of academic excellence is awarding research funding on the merits of the research being proposed. The cover letter describing the Compact contemplates funding research on criteria other than the soundness and likely impact of research, which would ultimately damage the health and prosperity of Americans.” News from Brown

nell’ambiente universitario americano, e non solo, si parla molto del Compact, mentre qui da noi mi sembra che se ne discuta poco. Eppure avrà implicazioni anche per noi: per gli studenti italiani che vorranno andare a studiare negli Stati Uniti, e che incontreranno difficoltà sempre maggiori, e per i programmi di scambio universitario con gli USA, che disporranno di meno fondi e potrebbero risultare meno attraenti per alcune università.