U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a “National Call to Action” urging university presidents and boards to publicly commit by year-end to reforms spanning admissions transparency, free speech protections, intellectual pluralism, and affordability. The administration says institutions should post responses to specific questions on their websites, aiming to restore public trust as confidence in higher education hits record lows. The new messaging is positioned as a softer successor to last year’s “Compact for Academic Excellence,” which colleges largely declined. The updated letter asks schools to explain how they will meet the administration’s goals rather than adopting tightly prescribed policy changes, and it avoids explicit language about trading commitments for access to federal benefits. Department officials said the strategy is intended to hold higher education accountable, including through future grant policy considerations under a proposed rule that would give political appointees final say over awarding some funding. University governance leaders and reform advocates are likely to watch for how quickly institutions decide whether to publish candid responses.