MIT Rejects White House Funding Terms Over Academic Freedom Concerns
Massachusetts Institute of Technology becomes the first university to reject White House funding terms, calling the conditions inconsistent with scientific merit principles. Other elite institutions are still evaluating their response to the administration’s demands.
In a bold move defending academic independence, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has become the first university to publicly reject the White House’s funding conditions, setting up a potential confrontation over federal research dollars and institutional autonomy. President Sally Kornbluth’s firm stance against what she calls restrictions on “scientific merit alone” principles highlights growing tensions between higher education and administrative policy demands.
