TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Dec 4, 2025

Vanderbilt University reportedly is still in talks with the Trump administration around a proposal that would provide preferred access to federal grants in exchange for the school implementing a series of government mandates, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The proposal had an original deadline of Nov. 21 for the school to respond. At that time, the university’s chancellor released a campus-wide message reiterating the school’s commitment to “academic freedom, free expression and independence” and belief that grants should be merit based. The paper reports that the university issued a statement saying: "We do not currently have a November 21st deadline, nor a directive to accept or reject the compact" and highlighting its track record of "principled, bipartisan dialogue with the federal government."