Brown Should Reject the Education Department's Push

October 29, 2026 - 12:39

The Education Department has issued a call to action that should give Brown University pause. The department is pressing the institution to adopt a set of policy changes that would alter how the school handles admissions, hiring, and campus governance. Brown should think carefully before agreeing to any of it.

The department's request comes wrapped in the language of accountability and fairness. But the specifics tell a different story. The proposed changes would give federal officials a larger role in decisions that have traditionally belonged to the university and its faculty. That is a shift in authority, not a clarification of standards.

Brown has built its reputation on independent inquiry and shared governance. Those principles are not decorative. They shape how the school admits students, how it recruits scholars, and how it resolves disagreements on campus. Handing any part of that process to outside officials would weaken the institution from the inside.

There is also a practical concern. Complying with the department's demands could set a precedent that other agencies will cite when they seek similar influence over private universities. What begins as a voluntary gesture can quickly become an expectation, and then a requirement.

Brown should engage with the department respectfully but firmly. It can review the proposals, ask hard questions, and decline the parts that overstep. The university's leaders have a duty to protect the school's autonomy, even when the pressure comes from Washington.