New College of Florida publicly volunteered to be the first institution to adopt President Trump’s proposed higher‑education compact, saying the small public liberal‑arts college already has policies aligned with the White House’s demands. The announcement follows a sweeping conservative overhaul of the college’s board and administration under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which dismantled diversity programs and eliminated certain academic departments. The Trump compact would offer funding preferences in exchange for policies including a tuition freeze, standardized testing requirements, and institutional neutrality on political and social events. Most universities that were directly approached rejected the compact, citing threats to academic freedom and institutional independence; New College’s leaders said their recent governance changes make the compact a natural fit. Higher‑ed leaders and many peer institutions have warned the compact could undermine universities’ autonomy and federal research collaborations; the White House has not published final signing procedures or binding details beyond the administration’s initial outline.