INSIDE: HOUSING GUIDE
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2025
VOL. CXLI
NO. 23
White House asks Penn to sign ‘compact’ of operational principles in exchange for funding advantages A White House official told The Wall Street Journal that the schools were chosen for their commitment to ‘higherquality education’ ISHA CHITIRALA AND FINN RYAN Senior Reporters
Penn is one of nine schools that the White House approached on Wednesday requesting adherence to a set of principles in order to receive preferential funding treatment, according to The Wall Street Journal. The memo — titled the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” — laid forth 10 guidelines that would govern Penn’s admissions, pricing, and hiring practices, according to the Journal. In exchange, higher education institutions that sign the agreement will receive “multiple positive benefits,” including “substantial and meaningful federal grants.” Universities are “free to develop models and values other than those” offered in the memo, but only if the institution chooses to forgo federal benefits, the document stated. On Sept. 25, The Washington Post reported preliminary details about the compact agreement from two senior White House officials. A University spokesperson declined The Daily Pennsylvanian’s request for comment. The White House could not be reached for comment amid the ongoing government shutdown. The guidelines included banning the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions. The memo additionally outlined a requirement that universities freeze tuition for five years, the Journal reported. In February, the University Board of Trustees voted to raise tuition costs by 3.7% for the 2025-26 academic year — a practice that has been consistent across recent years. It also included a provision instructing institutions See COMPACT, page 7
Jackson began his tenure on June 1, 2023.
ETHAN YOUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Penn Provost John Jackson Jr. discusses reshaping his office, academic priorities in DP interview Jackson, who assumed the provost position in 2023, described his office as ‘the perfect perch from which to really make sense’ of Penn as an institution AYANA CHARI Senior Reporter
Two years after being named Penn’s 31st provost, John Jackson Jr. sat down with The Daily Pennsylvanian for an exclusive interview to discuss his tenure, recent administrative initiatives, and his role in guiding the University through uncertainty surrounding federal funding. Jackson — who assumed the position as Penn’s chief academic officer in 2023 — described his
office as “the perfect perch from which to really make sense” of Penn as an institution. He discussed his priorities for the new academic year and the University’s plan for navigating current and future threats to higher education. Reshaping the Provost’s Office Jackson’s office has expanded significantly in the
last two years, including the addition of four new vice provost positions for the arts, climate change, undergraduate education, and graduate education, respectively. He said that connecting these new areas of focus with the rest of the Penn community has proved to be the most “compelling part of [his] job.” See JACKSON, page 7
Michael Mann resigns from role as vice provost for climate science, policy, and action
Penn faculty, legal experts criticize Trump’s domestic The announcement came two weeks after Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) called for Penn to take action against Mann in light of his social media activity regarding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk terrorism memo as threat to Penn’s Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, intellectual work he wants to do while also being atmospheric science. campus free and Action Michael Mann announced his resig- a University administrator at an institution that He is an elected member of both the National nation from the role on Monday after an almost says we pride ourselves on institutional neutrality,” Academy of Sciences and the United Kingdom’s 11-month term. Jackson added. Royal Society. In 2019, he won the Tyler Prize speech ETHAN YOUNG AND AYANA CHARI News Editor and Senior Reporter
In a Sept. 29 announcement made on his personal website, Mann stated that his scientific advocacy work conflicts with Penn’s “established institutional neutrality policy.” The announcement came two weeks after Sen. Dave McCormick (RPa.) called for Penn to take action against Mann in light of his social media activity — including reposts and a since-deleted post of his own — regarding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. A request for comment was left with Mann. McCormick did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Mann was named the inaugural vice provost for climate in November 2024. Two months before his appointment, Penn President Larry Jameson announced a policy of institutional neutrality — meaning that University leaders will not issue public statements on local or global events that do not have a direct impact on Penn. In the Monday announcement, Mann wrote that his commitment to climate advocacy “at times feels in conflict with the nonpartisan role” of serving as a University administrator. “Particularly at this moment in time, I don’t feel that I can forsake the public scholarship and advocacy that I am doing and have thus decided to step down from the VPC role,” Mann stated. Mann wrote to the DP that the decision was motivated primarily by the release of his new book, “Science Under Siege,” and his ongoing book tour. The book, Mann said, is “very critical of some political figures.” Provost John Jackson Jr. told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Mann was neither fired nor “driven out” of the position. “I think his position has been that it’s more and more difficult for him to do the kind of public SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM
Mann is widely recognized for his research on climate science and climate change. He first joined Penn in 2022 from Penn State University, where he was the director of the Earth System Science Center and a distinguished professor of
for Environmental Achievement, which is known as the most prominent international award in the environmental science field. Mann is also a 2023 recipient of the John Scott Award from the Franklin Institute and the City of Philadelphia.
In interviews with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn professors argued that the memo could create a ‘chilling effect on free speech’ at Penn and other universities ISHA CHITIRALA Senior Reporter
CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Mann — a presidential distinguished professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science — became Penn’s first vice provost for climate science, policy, and action on Nov. 1, 2024. ONLINE AT THEDP.COM
Penn faculty members and free speech experts criticized a recent national security memorandum signed by 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump. The Sept. 25 memo — titled “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence” — followed a Sept. 22 executive order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. In interviews with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn professors argued that the memo compounds other actions taken by the Trump administration to create a “chilling effect on free speech” at Penn and other universities. Nicknamed “NSPM-7,” the memo outlined a new national security strategy aimed at combatting “domestic terrorism.” “Through this comprehensive strategy, law enforcement will disband and uproot networks, entities, and organizations that promote organized violence, violent intimidation, conspiracies against rights, and other efforts to disrupt the functioning of a democratic society,” the memo read. In a statement to the DP, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Kermit Roosevelt expressed concerns that the measure’s language casts an unusually wide net. “It seems to have a pretty broad theory of what See MEMO, page 3 CONTACT US: 215-422-4640