Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California have rejected the Trump administration's offer of priority access to federal funds in exchange for adopting government-mandated reforms.
With the rejections of Penn and USC on Thursday, four of the nine universities the Department of Education asked to sign on to its 10-part "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" have so far declined.
In a letter addressed to the Penn community on Thursday, the school's president, Larry Jameson, informed the Department of Education that Penn "respectfully" declined to sign the compact.
"At Penn, we are committed to merit-based achievement and accountability. The long-standing partnerships between American higher education and the federal government has greatly benefited society and our nation. Shared goals and investment in talent and ideas will turn possibility into progress," Jameson said.
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