Nearly four months after the Trump administration paused federal research funding to Brown University, the Ivy League school said Wednesday that it reached an agreement with the government to restore that funding.
Brown also agreed to settle three open investigations into the university regarding federal nondiscrimination laws, including allegations that Brown didn’t do enough to prevent the harassment of Jewish students on campus.
Under the terms of the agreement, the federal government will restore nearly $50 million in research grants to Brown. The money is contingent on the university donating $50 million to state workforce development organizations in Rhode Island over the next decade.
The settlement requires Brown not to consider race in admissions decisions. The university has agreed to provide the federal government with admissions data to ensure compliance.
Brown is also prohibited from performing gender-affirming surgeries on minors or prescribing puberty blockers. The university has also agreed to adopt the Trump administration’s definition of male and female for athletics and on-campus housing.
The agreement doesn’t impose any requirements or restrictions on the content of Brown’s curriculum. As a result, Brown President Christina Paxson says it allows the university to uphold its ethical and legal obligations while defending academic freedom and freedom of expression.
“By voluntarily entering this agreement, we meet those dual obligations,” Paxson said in an open letter to the Brown campus. “We stand solidly behind commitments we repeatedly have affirmed to protect all members of our community from harassment and discrimination, [and] we protect the ability of our faculty and students to study and learn academic subjects of their choosing.”
The agreement doesn’t require Brown to admit any wrongdoing or to make payment to the federal government.
