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By Marc Rowan
Mr. Rowan is the chief executive of Apollo Global Management.
Last week the Trump administration sent letters to a group of presidents of universities proposing a set of principles that has come to be known as the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” The purpose of the compact is to set forth the minimum standards of conduct and performance that institutions of higher education must meet to benefit from a relationship with the federal government. The compact is not yet final and remains subject to further input and discussion, including from campus leaders.
This sort of proposal is not unusual. For more than 20 years, government mandates on a host of issues — including diversity, discrimination and student discipline — have been welcomed on college campuses because they fit within the prevailing partisan ethos. But this government mandate, intended to promote excellence in core academic pursuits and to protect free speech, is being met with prophesies of doom.
