The government has already waded into the boardroom — now, it’s explicitly linking federal university funding to classroom culture reforms. In a 10-point memo sent to leaders at nine top schools, the White House said it would tie funding to, among other things, mandatory standardized testing in admissions, a five-year tuition freeze, and a ban on use of race in admissions and political statements by university employees.
The last point picks up a baton left behind by Charlie Kirk, whose Turning Point USA runs a “Professor Watchlist” service that flags professors the organization considers anti-conservative. The White House memo requires universities to ensure a “vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
Some of the reforms are less politically charged. A tuition freeze — and an outright waiver for students of the “hard sciences” — would be popular with young people and potentially solve the US’ longstanding engineering shortage.