The University of Virginia and the Trump administration are nearing an agreement to resolve a monthslong standoff that led to the resignation of the university’s president in June, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
According to multiple sources who spoke with the outlet, the White House is reviewing a deal that would mark the first public university to agree to terms with the administration who has taken unprecedented steps to rein in what they view as illiberal hiring policies and rampant antisemitism on campus.
During negotiations held last week, the University of Virginia agreed that it would neither incur a financial penalty nor be subject to direct monitoring, sources told the outlet.
Under the agreement, the university would be required to continue aligning with the administration’s broad interpretation of a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that banned the explicit use of race in college admissions.
The University of Virginia is receiving a favorable deal due to its cooperation with the Justice Department, following the resignation of former president James E. Ryan, according the three sources who spoke with the Times.
The Trump administration has reached similar agreements with private institutions Brown, University of Pennsylvania and Columbia.
Columbia announced in July that it was implementing a series of reforms aimed at antisemitism on campus. The arrangement had Columbia pay a $200 million fine and share their hiring and admission data with federal authorities.
Brown agreed to spend $50 million over the course of 10 years on work force programs and agreed to the Trump administration’s definition of “male” and “female.”
Not all universities have been as agreeable to changing their hiring practices under funding threats from the Trump White House.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth’s public rejection of Trump’s priorities was met with praise from others in higher education earlier in the month in an open letter.
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