Brown University has become the third Ivy League campus to reach a deal with the administration of United States President Donald Trump, in a bid to restore frozen federal funding.The agreement, announced on Wednesday, is the latest instance of an elite US school bargaining with the president and acceding to his demands.As part of the deal, Brown will pay $50m over 10 years to improve Rhode Island’s workforce development programmes. It will also commit to supporting its local Jewish community and restricting its acknowledgement of transgender students.The agreement comes amid a wider campaign by the Trump administration to withhold federal funds from elite universities in an effort to stem “woke” ideology and combat anti-Semitism.Opponents say the administration’s efforts are politically motivated and out of step with reality, but have acknowledged that many administrators feel they have little choice but to acquiesce amid the funding pressures.Earlier this month, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University both inked their own deals with Trump.The University of Pennsylvania agreed to comply with Trump’s stance on transgender athletes, but Columbia was forced to pay a settlement of $200m, in addition to complying with several demands about admission and hiring.His administration had severed funds and opened investigations into both schools, as it has with Brown as well.In a statement, Brown President Christina Paxson said her school’s deal preserves its academic independence. Advertisement She highlighted a clause that says the government cannot dictate curri …
