USC declined the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, according to a University-wide email from Interim President Beong-Soo Kim on Thursday afternoon. 

In his email, Kim cited a dedication to including diverse political opinions and fear of external influences degrading academic independence as reasons for rejecting the compact. Kim also released the letter he sent to the U.S. Department of Education explaining why USC would not sign the compact.

Among the nine universities who were originally sent the compact, USC marks the fourth to reject it, following The University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brown University.

The compact, sent to universities Oct. 1, aimed to cap undergraduate international student enrollment, freeze five-year tuition for American students and impose a strict definition of gender, among other requests, in exchange for preferential access to federal funding. 

In line with statements from Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania, Kim wrote that the compact may erode the foundation of higher education. 

“We are concerned that even though the Compact would be voluntary, tying research benefits to it would, over time, undermine the same values of free inquiry and academic excellence that the Compact seeks to promote,” Kim wrote in the letter. 

In the letter, the interim president wrote about the University’s commitment to a “vibrant marketplace of ideas where all different views can be explored, debated, and challenged” and pointed to the recently launched USC Open Dialogue Project in reference to the school’s attempt to foster civil discourse between individuals of different political ideologies. 

“Without an environment where students and faculty can freely debate a broad range of ideas and viewpoints, we could not produce outstanding research, teach our students to think critically, or instill the civic values needed for our democracy to flourish,” Kim wrote in the letter. 

Kim also said the University is dedicated to upholding laws prohibiting discrimination in admissions, hiring and student discipline, all issues raised in the compact. 

He pointed to the University’s track record with commissioning officers through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, awarding United States Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon benefits annually and strengthening national security through strategic partnerships with the federal government as ways the University served the nation.

In the past few days, graduate students, student organizations, union members and faculty opposed the prospect of the University joining the compact, urging USC to stand alongside other institutions. An undergraduate student survey conducted by the Undergraduate Student Government found that 92.7% of students who participated oppose the contract. 

Opponents of the compact planned a rally for faculty, students and staff Oct. 17 at noon near Tommy Trojan, demanding the University reject the terms included in the compact. After the University released its decision, an email to prospective rally members and concerned faculty reframed the event as a “celebration of our efforts and a rally for keeping the energy going to defend academic freedom.”

“Trump’s attacks on higher education (visa restrictions, funding cuts, etc) preceded the compact, and we must be ready for retaliation. We are still in dire need of transparency from our admin regarding budget cuts and lay-offs. Tomorrow’s rally and teach-in will center these issues,” the email read. 

Although Kim declined to participate in the compact, he wrote that he maintained accountability for controlling tuition rates, upholding academic rigor and ensuring students’ critical thinking skills, among other objectives. In the statement, Kim wrote the issues raised by the compact are worthy of a broader national discourse which the University could participate in. 

“While USC is a proudly private university, we recognize the tremendous public trust that has been placed in us, and we remain as committed as ever to advancing the values of academic excellence, equal opportunity, open dialogue, and accountability in everything we do,” Kim wrote.