Dear Chancellor Diermeier,

We, the residents of Nashville and surrounding counties, are calling on Vanderbilt to take a clear and public stand against the presidential administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

This so-called “compact” is not a gesture of partnership — it is an attempt to control higher education through coercion, offering funding in exchange for ideological compliance. Accepting or even entertaining such a proposal endangers the independence that defines true scholarship and undermines the very principles that make Vanderbilt a world-class institution.

Other leading universities — including MIT, Brown, Penn, Dartmouth, and UVA — have already rejected the compact outright. We urge Vanderbilt to join them and demonstrate the courage our times demand.

Vanderbilt’s leadership matters not just to its students and faculty, but to the entire region that looks to the university as a pillar of truth and excellence. Neutrality in the face of authoritarian pressure is not neutrality — it is surrender.

We ask you to stand firm, reject the compact, and reaffirm Vanderbilt’s unwavering commitment to academic freedom and democratic values.

Respectfully,
Residents of Nashville and Middle Tennessee