On September 30, 2025, the White House urged nine leading universities —including MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, University of Virginia and USC—to sign the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. The proposed Compact would make federal funding contingent upon compliance with broad federal mandates affecting admissions, tuition, free speech, hiring, and campus governance.
While LMU has not been contacted by the administration, President Thomas Poon joined peer institutions in signing a public statement from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) opposing the Compact. The statement reaffirms LMU’s commitment to academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
LMU also endorses Higher Education’s Compact with America: Shared Principles for the Common Good, a collaborative initiative led by AAC&U, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, and other national higher education organizations and leaders. These shared principles—expanding opportunity and access, upholding academic freedom and excellence, fostering innovation, and advancing the public good—embody LMU’s mission and values.