The Valley Forge Military College in Wayne wants to join President Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, a plan for conservative colleges.
President Trump has described the compact as part of his “war on woke,” writes Ryan W. Briggs and Max Marin for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
It promises federal funding if university administrators pledge to promote “American and Western values,” end DEI programs, adopt biological gender definitions, and shut down departments that criticize conservatives.
Critics have attacked the compact on First Amendment grounds, fearing it would allow university administrators to punish LGBTQ+ students or liberal professors.
An Oct. 28 letter signed by college president Col. Stuart B. Helgeson and board chairman John English to the U.S. Department of Education states that Valley Forge would be honored to be the first military college to sign the compact.
“Our mission — to educate, train, and inspire the leaders of tomorrow — aligns naturally with the Compact’s goals of promoting institutional excellence and preparing students for meaningful contributions to society,” the letter states.
The letter expressed “full support and enthusiasm for the Compact’s objectives” and the college’s ”values of academic rigor, leadership, and character development.”
Read more about the latest developments at the Wayne campus in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
