All but two universities refuse Trump’s preferential funding offer

Seven of nine universities initially contacted by the White House about a plan to direct more federal money to schools aligned with President Trump’s priorities declined to endorse the proposal.

On Monday evening, an eighth indicated that he had reservations on this subject.

Only one, the University of Texas, has suggested it might be open to a quick signing.

The University of Arizona rejected the Trump administration’s pact on Monday, joining Brown University, Dartmouth College, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia.

Vanderbilt University did not directly express its views on the plan Monday — the deadline the Trump administration initially set for universities to comment — but its chancellor expressed reservations about parts of it.

The pact includes conditions such as agreeing “that academic freedom is not absolute” and pledging to potentially shut down “institutional units that punish, demean, and even incite violence against conservative ideas.”

Although the Trump administration raised the possibility of more federal funding for schools that approved the plan, one university after another said they could not agree to the conditions.

“Principles such as academic freedom, merit-based research funding, and institutional independence are fundamental and must be preserved,” University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella wrote in an open letter Monday, while adding that some of the White House ideas “deserve thoughtful consideration.”

Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier did not reject the proposal and said the school would share more feedback with the government on the future of higher education. But Dr. Diermeier noted that Vanderbilt was concerned about the draft released by the White House this month.

“Our North Star has always been that academic freedom, freedom of expression and independence are essential for universities to make their vital and unique contribution to society,” Dr. Diermeier wrote in an open letter. “We also believe that research grants should be awarded solely on the basis of merit. This merit-based approach has enabled the scientific and scientific excellence that has driven the health, security, and prosperity of the United States for decades. It must be preserved.”

Asked for comment, the White House pointed to a Monday evening television appearance by May Mailman, a senior adviser leading Trump strategy, on Fox Business.

In the interview, Ms. Mailman said universities “were saying they had various problems, but that’s exactly what we asked them: We said that by today we want to hear your feedback, not because we don’t care, but because we care.”

Ms. Mailman was among administration officials who signed letters this month informing the nine universities that the proposal was “largely in final form.”