Stand Up for Science launches higher-ed compact to counter Trump education push

Stand Up for Science on Sept. 9 released “America’s Compact For Higher Education” in Washington as a rebuttal to the Education Department’s 2025 compact and follow-up letter to universities. The group says the new compact is meant to defend academic freedom, institutional self-governance and the public purpose of higher education.

Why it matters: - Stand Up for Science is trying to create an alternate blueprint for U.S. higher education at a time when the Trump administration is pressing universities to accept federal priorities. - The group argues the fight is about academic freedom, hiring, curriculum and research independence, not just campus policy. - The new compact is meant to rally faculty, staff, alumni and the broader public around universities as institutions that serve the public good.

What happened: - Stand Up for Science released “America’s Compact For Higher Education” on Sept. 9, 2026. - The announcement came in Washington, D.C., in direct response to the Department of Education’s 2025 compact and a follow-up letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon. - The compact lays out 11 principles that defend the purpose and value of knowledge, higher education and academic freedom. - Early signers include the American Association of Colleges & Universities, the American Association of University Professors, the Alliance for Higher Education, the American Federation of Teachers, Public Citizen and several Nobel laureates. - The organization posted the compact on its website and invited university staff, faculty, alumni and others to sign and share it with university leaders. - The public is also invited to sign in support of higher education.

The details: - Dr. Colette Delawalla, founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science, said academic freedom and independent science are part of the fabric of society and are not negotiable. - Delawalla said the administration is presenting its university agenda as education reform while academics and scientists see an effort to control hiring, curriculum and research priorities. - Cole Donovan, director of policy and advocacy, said the compact starts from first principles and explains why education requires academic freedom, self-governance and service to the public good. - The Department of Education first announced its “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” in October 2025. - That federal compact singled out nine universities and asked them to commit to a series of institutional changes. - Universities and higher education groups criticized the federal compact as a threat to academic freedom and institutional independence in exchange for preferential funding. - All nine targeted universities rejected the federal compact. - McMahon’s Aug. 3 letter asked university leaders to describe their commitments to rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research and national service. - The letter also asked schools to address questions about planned reforms by the end of the calendar year.

Between the lines: - Stand Up for Science is reframing the federal dispute as a broader debate over who sets the mission of higher education. - By publishing its own compact, the group is trying to move universities from a defensive posture to a public affirmation of academic freedom and self-governance. - The early list of signers signals that the response is already gaining traction among major higher-ed and labor organizations. - The move also shows that opposition to the Education Department’s approach is evolving from criticism into an organized counterproposal.

What's next: - Stand Up for Science will continue asking campus communities and the public to sign and circulate the compact. - Delawalla and Donovan said they are available for comment and media appearances. - The Education Department’s requested responses from university leaders are due by the end of the calendar year. - The standoff could keep escalating as schools decide whether to answer the federal questions and how to respond to outside pressure on academic independence.

The bottom line: - Stand Up for Science is turning the fight over federal higher-ed policy into a broader campaign for academic freedom and university self-rule.