Brown University Settles With U.S. Over Admissions ‍Practices, Pledges $50 Million

Education department hails agreement as a victory against⁣ “woke-capture” of higher education.

Brown University has ‍reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Education ⁤regarding it’s admissions practices,agreeing to pay $50 million over 10 years to local workforce growth organizations.The agreement, ⁢announced Monday, ⁣aims to ensure students are evaluated “solely⁣ on their merits, not their race or sex,” according to ⁤Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

McMahon lauded the deal as ⁢a important step in reversing what she described as the “decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions.” The settlement mandates that Brown disclose extensive data on ‍its applicants and admitted students, ⁣including details on race, grades, and standardized test scores. This information will be subject to a “complete audit” by the ⁣government.

Crucially, the⁤ agreement prohibits Brown‍ from giving preferential treatment to applicants based on⁤ their race.while a 2023 Supreme Court decision already ⁢outlawed such considerations,this settlement appears to extend ‍the prohibition,barring Brown from using any⁢ “proxy for racial admission,”⁣ such as personal statements or “diversity narratives.”

The $50 million commitment from ⁣Brown is designated for local workforce development initiatives,⁤ to be disbursed over a ⁢decade. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on education, ⁣an⁢ association representing major universities,⁢ characterized the⁢ payment as “a step⁢ forward” compared to‍ the ⁢fines some institutions have faced. however, he expressed uncertainty about whether Brown ⁢and othre universities are now free from ongoing governmental ⁤scrutiny.

“Let’s remember, these ⁤are deals. These are not policies,” Mitchell cautioned.⁣ “I had hoped that the Trump ⁢management, when it came in, was going to be interested in having serious policy discussions about the future of ⁢higher ⁣education. They’ve yet to do that.”

This settlement follows a similar agreement with Columbia University last week, ‍which agreed to ⁤pay $200 million to the government. Negotiations with Harvard University ⁢are reportedly ongoing, with the⁢ Trump administration⁢ pushing for a significantly⁤ larger payment from ⁢the ⁣Cambridge, Massachusetts ⁣institution. In a separate development, the university of Pennsylvania pledged ‍to‍ modify school records‍ related to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, an agreement that did not involve a ⁣financial penalty.