Statement on Compact 2.0

Dear UC Board of Regents, President James B. Milliken, and Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Ralph J. Hexter,

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s August 3rd, 2026 letter, titled “A National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards,” is a thinly-disguised attempt to create another “compact” between higher education institutions and the Trump administration.

The University of California Faculty Association (UCFA) endorses the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors (AFT-AAUP) response, and we call on you as leaders of the University of California (UC) to categorically reject the National Call to Action. Agreeing to any such compact would betray UC’s education and research mission and would compromise our ability to serve California.

On October 3, 2025, the UC Academic Council called on the UC Regents and President Milliken to “unequivocally reject governmental demands that compromise institutional autonomy and academic freedom” and UCFA endorsed San Diego Faculty Association’s statement about academic freedom calling on UC leadership to reject these demands.

McMahon’s current letter does nothing to secure academic freedom and campus free speech, ensure that students have the opportunity for a well-rounded education, or address the public’s concerns about college affordability. Instead, it is one more attempt by the Trump administration to exert undue political influence over institutions of higher education. 

If colleges and universities are to truly serve the public good, they should not be made answerable to the political program of a particular administration. The Department of Education (DOE) should enforce the law and administer programs authorized by Congress. It should not dictate a litmus test for hiring, teaching, or research. Nor should the DOE dictate which programs and courses of study are prioritized, which perspectives count as relevant, or whether institutions publicly endorse the government’s preferred conception of their mission.

Declining to respond to the Secretary–and thereby declining to legitimize the Trump administration’s higher education agenda–is the best option for the UC. As required by our shared governance model, if a response is found to be legally necessary, the UC Faculty Association and the UC Academic Senate must be consulted on how to affirm our institutional values without complying with the Trump administration’s coercion. We expect that you will share with all UC faculty and campus workers the course that you choose, and we request a reply to this letter detailing your plans. 

The UC Faculty Association and its associated campus chapters urge you to reject the premise of the Department of Education’s letter, and to reaffirm your commitment to the UC mission which includes academic freedom for all members of the UC community.