AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas at Austin held a swearing-in ceremony for its 31st president, James Davis.
But it comes at a turbulent time for the university. It has to decide if it’ll accept a deal on some higher education policy changes from President Donald Trump.
The president delivered his state of the university address saying the greatest days are ahead for UT, but there was no mention of the compact.
New chapter for UT Austin
The backstory:
James Davis was officially sworn in as the school’s 31st president, promising to uphold UT’s mission.
“For all of us who are part of this university, it is our solemn duty to the people of Texas to deliver on our mission. And as your 31st president, I give you my promise to do everything in my power to fulfill that duty,” said President Davis.
President Davis has lived in Austin since 1974 and joined UT in 2018.
He’s helped lead major projects ranging from the Dell Medical School to new affordable housing plans and the tower restoration.
UT students protest Trump’s education vision
President Trump is asking UT to make some major changes to school policy. It’s all part of the president’s higher education compact. In response, UT students marched to push back against the president’s request.
Moving forward, he says his priorities include strengthening public trust in higher education, preparing the next generation, investing in research and teaching, expanding academic medicine, and restoring the tower.
“Have we given in to a culture of serving my truth, with an intolerance for any other? That is not the Texas way. Our faculty have come together. Our faculty have come together to reaffirm academic integrity at the University of Texas. We recognize as a public university, we hold a position of public trust,” said President Davis.
Trump’s vision for higher education system
The White House reached out to several universities this week, asking them to commit to the President Trump’s vision for the nation’s higher education system. Some of those colleges are in Texas
The address happened as the University of Texas is one of nine higher education institutions that President Donald Trump asked to join a compact. It lists out a set of operating principles that the school must abide by, or risk losing its preferred access to federal funding.
The document from the president asks the university to implement several changes, such as no longer considering sex and ethnicity in admissions, sticking to a biological definition of man and woman, and putting a cap on international student enrollment.
Protests have erupted on campus over the proposal.
“Even if the administration wants to be under the guise of Trump at all times, we would much prefer to have our own freedom from the federal administration,” said UT student Ryan Lowe.
UT Austin responds
The UT System said in a statement earlier this month:
“The University of Texas system is honored that our flagship —the University of Texas at Austin—has been named as one of only nine institutions in the U.S. Selected by the Trump Administration for potential funding advantages under its new ‘compact for academic excellence in higher education.”
What’s next:
The deadline for UT to give feedback on Trump’s higher education compact was October 20, but the university has still not given an official response.
FOX 7 asked the university Wednesday for an update. They had no comment on the matter.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Jenna King