Several elite universities, including Northwestern, Columbia, Brown, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania, signed agreements this year with the Trump administration that restored frozen research funds in return for policy commitments and financial penalties. The agreements involve settlements and ‘compacts’ that impose reporting and compliance conditions tied to harassment, hiring and admissions practices, according to university and administration statements. University leaders defended the pacts as necessary to restore research funding and operations; critics argue the deals set precedent for federal intervention without judicial findings. The administration frames the agreements as policy gains; campus leaders and governance experts warn the compacts could reshape institutional autonomy and hiring policies over the long term.