A historic shift is underway in the landscape of American higher education. St. Augustine’s University, a historically Black institution in North Carolina, has become the first to formally express interest in joining President Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence – a move met with hesitation from many of the nation’s most prestigious universities.
The university’s interim president, Verjanis Peoples, alongside board chair Sophie Gibson, penned a letter to the Department of Education, signaling their willingness to participate and “help shape” the compact. This decision arrives after Ivy League schools and prominent state universities declined the offer, creating a unique position for St. Augustine’s.
The compact aims to bolster academic standards, accountability, and transparency within higher education, but its stipulations present complex challenges for HBCUs. A core tenet of the compact explicitly prohibits considering race or ethnicity in admissions and scholarship decisions – a potential conflict with the foundational mission of institutions like St. Augustine’s, created to expand opportunities for Black students.
The university’s letter doesn’t shy away from these concerns. It acknowledges a potential clash with Title III of the Higher Education Act, which supports HBCUs in their mission of serving historically marginalized communities. The compact’s proposed five-year tuition freeze also raises questions, given the typically smaller endowments of HBCUs compared to their larger counterparts.
Further complicating matters are restrictions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and caps on international student admissions. St. Augustine’s highlighted the importance of its “global partnerships across the African diaspora,” a long-standing tradition within the HBCU community, and its potential incompatibility with the compact’s limitations.
Despite these hurdles, the university remains optimistic. The letter emphasizes a desire for “thoughtful collaboration” to refine the compact, ensuring its implementation is both rigorous and inclusive. They seek a dialogue that acknowledges the unique statutory purpose and mission-specific constraints of HBCUs.
Peoples underscored this point, stating that the university’s mission is “not symbolic—it is statutory, purposeful, and essential.” She affirmed support for raising academic standards nationwide, but stressed the need to recognize the vital role HBCUs play in expanding opportunity for underserved populations.
The Trump administration had sought feedback from nine universities, setting a deadline of October 20th. While institutions like MIT, the University of Arizona, and Brown University opted not to participate, St. Augustine’s University has stepped forward, initiating a crucial conversation about the future of higher education and the inclusion of historically Black colleges and universities.
This bold move positions St. Augustine’s as a potential catalyst for change, advocating for a framework that upholds both the spirit and letter of the compact while safeguarding the essential mission of HBCUs across the nation.
