The White House is asking nine U.S. universities to sign an agreement pledging to uphold the Trump administration's higher education priorities, or risk losing out on preferred access to federal funding. May Mailman, a senior adviser for special projects at the White House, told the paper that the Trump administration doesn't plan to limit funding only to institutions that agree to abide by the compact. However, schools that sign the agreement will be granted priority in receiving federal funding and engaging with White House officials. "Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego federal benefits," the agreement states. In a statement on Thursday, the University of Pennsylvania chapter of the American Association of University Professors said the White House letter amounts to a threat.