A new movement is gaining momentum within the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), shifting discussions from athletic performance to the fundamental values of academia.
The faculty senates of several BTAA institutions, including Rutgers University, Indiana University Bloomington, and the University of Michigan, have proposed a mutual defense compact aimed at safeguarding academic collaboration, research integrity, and the principles of democratic governance and shared decision-making.
This proposal urges member universities to adopt a formal alliance dedicated to resisting policies that compromise the core tenets of higher education.
The USC Academic Senate announced plans to vote on May 7 regarding their endorsement of the shared values statement that originated among Big Ten senate leaders, which has now been brought to consideration outside the conference.
Outlined in a resolution from the Rutgers University Senate, the compact seeks to establish a united stance among Big Ten institutions by coordinating legal, public relations, and policy strategies to shield academic exploration from potential overreach by state or federal authorities.
In this manner, the alliance intends to serve both as a protective measure and as a bold assertion of academic freedom.
This movement comes in response to recent actions by the Trump administration that canceled $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, citing the institution’s insufficient response to antisemitic harassment.
Similar actions have occurred at other universities, including Cornell University and Northwestern, which have had grants frozen totaling $1 billion and $790 million, respectively.
USC, as one of the newest entrants to the Big Ten Conference, is navigating its own unique terrain.
Ranked 27th in the latest U.S. News rankings, USC is recognized as a leader in research and academics.
As a prominent private university joining a conference primarily composed of public institutions, USC’s participation in the compact raises distinct considerations.
Officially joining the Big Ten Conference in 2024 alongside UCLA, USC has extended the alliance’s scope to the West Coast while introducing a different institutional framework.
Notably, unlike public universities such as Indiana and Michigan, USC, as a private university, is generally insulated from direct state political interference that may influence public institutions.
However, USC’s dependency on federal grants is substantial, with $1.35 billion allocated for federal funding in 2024 alongside $650 million for student financial aid and $569 million for research initiatives.
In light of ongoing financial uncertainties linked to federal support, USC Provost Andrew T. Guzman commented on the necessity for the institution to enhance its financial resilience amid exceptional financial instability.
His remarks were featured in a Los Angeles Times article discussing USC’s hiring freeze and subsequent contingency planning following threats from the Trump administration regarding university funding.
While the movement is currently confined to faculty discussions, no consensus has yet been reached across the BTAA, and each university must individually evaluate and vote on the compact.
As of now, the future of this mutual defense compact remains in the hands of faculty senates, each weighing their own institutional dynamics and commitments.
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