President Donald Trump’s alma mater recognized early on it could be under threat.
A week after the University of Pennsylvania alumnus’ inauguration, the university president composed a message to the school community: “Like you, I am closely monitoring recent developments from Washington that directly affect higher education.”
“Together we will protect and preserve what defines us as Penn,” then-interim President J. Larry Jamesonwrote.
A week later, the university was underinvestigationby the federal government.
What followed was a high-stakes, months-long back-and-forth between one of the country’s most prestigious universities and the Department of Education.
But the battle over $175 million in frozen federal funding that centered around women’s sports at UPenn, and one transgender swimmer in particular, would unfold much differently — for now — from the ongoing funding fight its sister Ivy League institution, Harvard University, has been waging with the Trump administration.
The deal reached this week between UPenn and the DOE, which restored the federal funding to the university, drew substantial praise from the Trump administration and conservatives. It also drew accusations of surrender and capitulation from some faculty, local politicians, and more.
In the end, UPenn’s president maintained the university remained committed to “fostering a community that is welcoming, inclusive and open to all students, faculty and staff.”
But Jamesonacknowledgedthe deal with the administration was made because “if unresolved, (the investigation) could have had significant and lasting implications for the University of Pennsylvania.”
The conflict began in earnest in early February, when President Trumpsigned an executive actiontitled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
“You’ve been waiting a long time for this,” said Trump, flanked by dozens of young girls and female athletes at a ceremonial signing at the White House.
“So have I.”
The following day, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced an investigation into three entities, including the University of Pennsylvania, for violating Title IX by “denying women an equal opportunity to participate in sports.”
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination at any academic institution that receives federal funding.
The DOE specificallycited Lia Thomas, a transgender woman and UPenn swimmer, as the basis for the investigation into the university.
In 2022, Thomas won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship for Penn competing in the women’s 500-yard freestyle. Since then, Thomas has become a symbol for those — including Trump — hoping to prevent transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
After the president’s executive action, the NCAA announced anew policylimiting “competition in women’s sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only.”
UPenn said it complied with the new rules of the NCAA—and maintained it hadn’t violated Title IX when Thomas competed three years ago, saying it was just following NCAA guidance at the time.
But the university said it was blindsided when it learned“through various news outlets”that the Trump administration had frozen $175 million of federal funding to the school anyway.
Jameson said the funding cut impacted research, “preventing hospital-acquired infections, drug screening against deadly viruses, quantum computing, protections against chemical warfare, and student loan programs.”
“We expect to continue to engage with (the DOE Office of Civil Rights), vigorously defending our position,” he wrote to the Penn community on March 25.
By the end of April, the DOE’s investigation concluded Penn had violated Title IX.
But also that month, according toThe Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn came to the negotiating table.
Thedemandsby the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights to become Title IX compliant were relatively straightforward.
UPenn had to issue a statement that it would comply with Title IX in its athletic programs, restore records and titles to the women who competed against Thomas and any other transgender women, and write apologies to those women who competed against Thomas.
As UPenn’s leadership released public statements on a new front with the Trump administration — visas for foreign students being threatened — internally, the university was working with the administration to comply with the Title IX investigation.
“UPenn came back to the table and asked us what they can do to make it right,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon in remarks published Tuesday evening.
“We said, ‘You have to completely rewrite your institutional policy.’ They signed on the dotted line,” said McMahon.
“We said, ‘You have to take these steps with records and reporting so this never happens again.’ They signed on the dotted line.”
“We said, ‘You owe (former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan), (former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines), and the other female athletes you’ve wronged a formal written apology. On Penn letterhead. In 10 business days.”
“Even that provision made it into the agreement,” said McMahon.
In a statement to the community, UPenn confirmed it agreed to these terms, reiterating that it believes it has always followed Title IX regulations under NCAA guidelines.
On its athletics website, Thomas’ swimming records set for UPenn are now afootnotein Penn Women’s Swimming. CNN has reached out to Thomas for comment.
On Wednesday morning, a White House official confirmed to CNN it had restored the $175 million in frozen funding.
By Wednesday afternoon, the agreement had been trumpeted as a major victory for President Trump.
“About dang time,” wrote former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlanon X, adding in another post, “I got what I voted for!”
“A long overdue step in the right direction,”wroteRepublican Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick.
“Fantastic news,” posted Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
But criticism spilled out as well.
“By following a path of political expediency at the expense of trans athletes, Penn makes all trans students, faculty, staff, and community members less safe, exposing them to renewed and emboldened harassment and discriminatory treatment,”wrotethe UPenn chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
“This move is not about equity,” wrote Pennsylvania State Representative Rick Krajewski and Philadelphia City Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier and Rue Landau in a joint statement calling the deal a “surrender.”
“It is about appeasing the Trump administration.”
McMahon applauded UPenn’s decision to comply, adding Tuesday, “We advise every institution that is currently violating women’s rights under Title IX to follow suit — not just in college sports, but in K-12 and every other institution covered by Title IX.”
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Amanda Musa contributed to this report.