Northwestern University agreed to pay $75 million and adopt a suite of policy changes to resolve federal probes and regain about $790 million in frozen research funding, the university announced. The deal, negotiated with the Trump administration, also required Northwestern to rescind a prior agreement with campus protesters and provide detailed admissions data and new training requirements. Interim President Henry Bienen framed the pact as necessary to restore research operations and avoid protracted litigation; critics, including faculty and free‑speech advocates, say the concessions undermine academic freedom and set a precedent for executive branch leverage over campus governance. The settlement closed investigations by multiple federal agencies into antisemitism and student safety claims. The episode is already triggering sectorwide governance questions: how institutions weigh risk to sponsored research against academic autonomy; how boards will assess legal and reputational costs; and whether peer universities will follow settlements or litigate. Universities with large federal research portfolios are watching closely for precedent and regulatory follow‑through.