HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Friday rejected the U.S. Department of Education (ED)’s offer to align with its “priorities” to receive federal benefits.
University President Sally Kornbluth wrote in a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon that the proposal, which outlines how MIT should operate to receive funding, visa approvals and preferential tax treatment, includes principles the school disagrees with.
The premise of McMahon’s offer, titled the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” is inconsistent with MIT’s core belief that “scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone,” Kornbluth said.
“In our view, America’s leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences,” Kornbluth wrote. “Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.”
ED didn’t return The National News Desk’s request for comment by publication. The department’s proposal includes demands on costs, admissions, hiring, learning, discourse, neutrality, foreign involvement and administrative reviews.
“American higher education is the envy of the world and represents a key strategic benefit for our Nation. In turn, the U.S. university system benefits in a variety of ways from its extraordinary relationship with the U.S. government,” the department wrote.
“To advance the national interest arising out of this unique relationship, this Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education represents the priorities of the U.S. government in its entanglements with universities that benefit from the relationship,” ED said.
“Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forgo federal benefits.”
Kornbluth said MIT meets or exceeds many standards described in the department’s proposal. The university’s admissions are “need-blind,” and incoming undergraduates of families earning less than $200,000 annually don’t pay any tuition, she explained. The school also values free expression and prides itself on rewarding “merit,” Kornbluth noted.
“We freely choose these values because they’re right, and we live by them because they support our mission – work of immense value to the prosperity, competitiveness, health and security of the United States. And of course, MIT abides by the law,” Kornbluth wrote.
She added that MIT continues to believe in the power of its partnership with the government that has provided “extraordinary benefits” to the public.
Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at [email protected].
