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"A federal research funding system based on anything other than merit would weaken the world’s preeminent engine for innovation, advancement of technology, and solutions to many of our nation’s most profound challenges. We seek no special treatment and believe in our ability to compete for federally funded research strictly on merit," Garimella wrote Monday to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

The proposed compact, previously rejected by six of the nine universities initially invited to sign it, ties priority access to federal money to committing to a long list of Trump administration goals.

"We have much common ground with the ideas your administration is advancing on changes that would benefit American higher education and our nation at large," Garimella told McMahon. 

In an email to the UA community Monday afternoon, Garimella wrote: "A number of the proposed federal recommendations deserve thoughtful consideration as our national higher education system could benefit from reforms that have been much too slow to develop. In fact, many of the proposed ideas are already in place at the U of A.

"At the same time, principles like academic freedom, merit-based research funding, and institutional independence are foundational and must be preserved," he wrote.

"As a result, the university has not agreed to the terms outlined in the draft proposal, but instead ," Garimella said. 

Garimella's statement of principles includes: "The University of Arizona steadfastly believes in a merit-based pursuit of excellence in fulfilling its mission of education, research and engagement, with a vibrant marketplace of ideas and perspectives and equal treatment of all." 

Mark Stegeman, a UA associate professor of economics, said Garimella's letter to McMahon promotes discussion and partnership instead of stating a hard "no."

His "'statement of principles' recites how UA's practices already reflect the compact's goals but offers little forward guidance," Stegeman said. In this way, Garimella's response is "open-ended," Stegeman said, although he added that the UA president "does set some boundaries on negotiations" by stating the university seeks no special treatment.

It is notable, Stegeman said, that Garimella stated only his letter to the UA community — not to McMahon — that principles of academic freedom and institutional independence must be preserved.

Asked whether the UA has rejected the compact, UA spokesperson Mitch Zak said, "The president (Garimella) wrote that 'the university has not agreed to the terms outlined in the draft proposal.' I would use his direct statements."

Garimella's letter comes after he met in a closed session late Friday with the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the public university, to discuss the document. 

"The Arizona Board of Regents has been in regular consultation with the University of Arizona since it received the draft Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, and we support President Garimella's response to it," Regents Chair Doug Goodyear said Monday in a written statement.

“Given that the federal government is the system’s largest single funder, our universities have a responsibility to provide thoughtful feedback. The board is committed to protecting the values of Arizona higher education that have made it the best in the world — most importantly academic freedom, institutional independence and merit-based research. And that remains our focus," Goodyear said.

'We have made substantial advances'

Garimella sent the letter on the day the White House set as the deadline, Oct. 20, for nine universities including the UA — the first invited to sign — to give “limited, targeted feedback� on the compact. There is a Nov. 21 deadline to sign the compact.

Nationally, six of the nine universities had already rejected the White House deal: the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Brown, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dartmouth. Regents in Texas have expressed enthusiasm about the compact.

According to the compact, universities may gain priority access to federal money if they commit to 10 pages of rules proposed by the White House, including: banning the use of race or gender in hiring and admissions, freezing tuition for five years, capping international undergrad enrollment at 15%, changing or abolishing units that criticize “conservative� ideologies, and banning university employees from speaking about any societal or political event unless it directly impacts the university.

Garimella's letter to McMahon said the White House's initiative "identifies the need to redefine higher education's relationship with the American public."

"in my year as President of the University of Arizona we have made substantial advances across several subjects addressed through your initiative," he wrote. "We reduced administrative spending by 22 percent, froze tuition for in-state students, established institutional research priorities that align with national and economic security needs, revised our enrollment strategy to expand partnerships with community colleges and access to all qualified domestic students, and affirmed the expectation of a campus culture rooted in civil discourse and willingness to engage all points of view."

Faculty hail the decision

Lynn Nadel, a Regents and Distinguished professor, was one of about 80 top faculty at the UA who advised  Garimella to reject the compact. Faculty leaders are grateful Garimella has joined other institutions in refusing to accept government intervention in the running of the university, Nadel said Monday.

Garimella's "emphasis on the critical role of merit is exactly right, and in alignment with other institutions that have also rejected the compact," Nadel said. "I cannot comment on the full text of his letter, but it seems to spell out the many ways the UA is already addressing some of the concerns expressed in the compact — the ones we can all agree need attention."

Melanie Hingle, a UA professor of nutritional sciences, said she is glad to see the UA take an active role in addressing some longstanding issues in higher education, while staying true to its principles and keeping student success as the primary focus.

"This is why we are all here," she said. "Our merit-based federal research funding system funds ideas through open, peer-reviewed competition, which means our tax dollars are directed to the work with the greatest potential for discovery and public benefit."

Thomas Volgy, a UA emeritus professor of political science, said Garimella conveyed his thoughts on wanting to follow the laws of the U.S. Constitution and the principles that drive quality higher education in a gentle, careful and diplomatic way, while also stating the UA isn't interested in getting preferential treatment for federal research funding. 

"He was also saying there's nothing that we do right now that's wrong or inappropriate, and I think that very much needed to be said as well," said Volgy.

ABOR's support of Garimella's decision is a strong statement from "a conservative and mostly Republican Board of Regents," Volgy added. 

Keith Maggert, a UA associate professor of molecular and cellular biology, said he is overjoyed by  Garimella's decision not to sign the compact.

Edward Platt said Garimella's rejection of the compact was "at least a little surprising," given what he called his previous patterns of compliance with political demands. Platt was director of one of UA's China micro-campuses that the university abruptly shut down in September after the Republican majority on a U.S. House Select Committee criticized the partnerships between U.S. universities and Chinese institutions, saying they posed a national security risk.

Danny Clifford, a UA professor in the English department, said he is "extremely encouraged by the showing of solidarity by our UA family — faculty, staff, and students — who spoke against the compact."

"I am also heartened by President Garimella, UA administration, and ABOR's support of this university's collective voice," he said. "However, I remain on high alert to the Trump Administration's heavy-handed attempt to coerce U.S. universities' compliance to a poorly researched and hastily constructed document which demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of the guiding principals of higher education and a blatant disregard for the beautifully diverse group of students and teachers who form the core of our mission."

Community opposition

There was strong opposition to the compact from faculty and student government leaders at the UA and from the Tucson City Council and the Pima County Board of Supervisors, who passed resolutions urging Garimella not to sign. Opponents said signing would sacrifice academic freedom, that the compact is risky because any violation would result in a loss of all federal funding for a year, and cited other concerns, including that the compact didn't guarantee federal benefits in return for signing.

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs had told Capitol Media Services she had strong reservations about the compact but would leave the decision up to the regents.

Republican Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, however, had "strongly encouraged" Garimella to "take advantage of the incredible opportunity" the Trump administration offered to "bring in additional resources."

Garimella had told the ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV on Thursday that he was "working together" with faculty, students, state lawmakers, university presidents across the country and Hobbs’ office on a decision.

Marcos Esparza, president of the United Campus Workers Union ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV of the national Communications Workers of America union, said Garimella's decision will protect academic freedom and free speech on campus.

"It also protects the University of Arizona's autonomy when it comes to curriculum and admissions decisions," said Esparza. United Campus Workers of Arizona will now continue to organize with "the students, staff and faculty at ASU and NAU, to ensure that leadership at those universities also reject this compact." 

The Trump administration has invited Arizona State University to join the compact as part of a second round of universities to receive the offer, CNN reported Friday.

Lucy Ziurys, a UA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said the compact "isn't about academic excellence, it's about academic mediocrity."

"Funding in research should be based on merit and competence, not on political compliance," Ziurys said. "Policing by the DOJ (Department of Justice) as proposed in the compact, will only stifle creativity and destroy productivity in research. Free thought and expression is a necessary component of innovation and discovery. I applaud President Garimella in his decision."

Nolan Cabrera, a UA professor of educational policy studies and practice, said: “It ironic that the representatives of the federal government keep saying they only want ‘merit’ based decisions, yet they dangle the promise of unmeritorious, preferential treatment in exchange for what amounted to affirmative action for conservatives."

Max Thomas, a UA graduate student, said UA's decision "shows the power of public pressure and community engagement."

"The students and staff and community who are the primary stakeholders in this university made their voices heard via public outcry, and they won," Thomas said. "We make the university function, we make UA what it is, and no administration — federal or university — should be able to deny the will of the people."