Pima County passes resolution opposing federal higher education compact

PIMA COUNTY, Oct. 15, 2025 — The Pima County Board of Supervisors, at its Oct. 14 meeting, passed a resolution in a 4-1 vote calling on the University of Arizona to reject the federal administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” 

The Board’s resolution described the Compact as “an unacceptable act of federal interference that undermines local control, academic freedom, and opportunity for our residents.” 

District 3 Supervisor Jennifer Allen, who brought the resolution to the Board, said the Compact would impose an “excessive amount of control” on the University of Arizona. She emphasized the university’s role “to advance education, research and outreach to directly benefit the state’s diverse community, including tribal, rural, and underserved populations.” 

“This compact would gut the mission with the explicit intention to limit and control who gets admitted to the university, how they get admitted, the type of tests they can take, the type of courses that can be taught, the kinds of things professors can comment on, how we grade at the university,” Allen said. “All of this excessive amount of control would be imposed on the University of Arizona.” 

Pima County joins a growing number of local and state leaders opposing the Compact, including the Tucson City Council, which voted 7-0 on Oct. 8 to adopt a similar resolution authored by Ward 5 Council Member Rocque Perez. Pima County’s resolution is functionally identical to the one passed by the City of Tucson. Opposition has also been voiced by the University of Arizona Faculty Senate and the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, as well as elected officials. 

Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher, on behalf of the Board, will send a letter and a copy of this resolution to the President of the University of Arizona, the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona’s congressional delegation, and the Governor of Arizona. 

The County’s resolution reinforced its support of the University, stating:  

“UA has earned the trust of Arizona families through its commitment to access, research, and service, while contributing to the economic vitality, cultural richness, and innovation of our state as a leader in science, technology, medicine, water, space exploration, food, agriculture, and the arts.” 

The resolution further noted that the federal administration “has sought to insert political mandates in local higher education … with significant financial penalties and withdrawal of benefits for noncompliance.” 

The compact was sent to nine universities on Oct. 1: the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia. MIT has rejected the proposal in advance of the Oct. 20 deadline to respond.