Some university leaders said colleges have strayed from their mission and need to refocus on viewpoint diversity, according to an interview with The New York Times published Monday.Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth College; Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University; and Jennifer Mnookin, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, spoke with the Times’ opinion editor Ariel Kaminer.Though the three university presidents criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape higher education, Beilock and Mnookin said universities must work to regain the trust of the American people and emphasize viewpoint diversity."I don’t believe a compact with a Republican or Democratic-led White House is the right way to effect change in higher ed. But I’ve also been very clear that I think we have work to do in higher ed to gain back the trust of the American people, and to make sure that we’re serving this country and the world in the best way possible," Beilock said.MIT REJECTS TRUMP ADMIN FUNDING COMPACT, CITING FREE EXPRESSION CONCERNSDartmouth rejected Trump's education compact, which was sent to nine universities, all of which declined to sign in early October.The compact's principles include merit-based admissions and hiring practices regardless of race, sex, political orientation, ethnicity and nationality, and a commitment to freedom of ideas.It called for "abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas," recognizing biological sex for purposes of athletics, restrooms and locker rooms, maintaining institutional political neutrality, and adding measures on financial responsibility and foreign student admissions.Beilock said during the Times interview that she was willing to have conversations with the administration.I’VE BEEN A COLLEGE PRESIDENT AND HIGHER EDUCATION NEEDS TO EMBRACE DIVERSITY OF BELIEFSRoth said Trump's efforts were making matters worse for higher education."I think it’s given viewpoint diversity a bad odor because it’s being imposed on us, not because the federal government was looking for ideological diversity, but because they’re looking for loyalty," he said. "This is an extortionist move to try to hold institutions that are heavily dependent on federal funding, as research institutions are, to have leverage over them."Beilock accused the Wesleyan president of engaging in "name-calling," arguing that university presidents should look to see how they can improve, in "concert" with the federal government, while making sure to defend their rights and values."As leaders, we lost our mission a bit about what higher education was about. We’re educational organizations. We’re not political organizations, like the RNC or DNC. We’re not even social advocacy organizations," Beilock said.White House spokesperson Elizabeth Huston told Fox News Digital, "American universities have lost their way and are in desperate need of real reform. For too long, they’ve abandoned academic excellence in favor of woke ideology and divisive DEI mandates. Rather than pushing political agendas, universities should focus on restoring their campuses to be true marketplaces of ideas where free thinking and civil discourse can take place.""Under President Trump’s commonsense leadership, merit, accountability and excellence are making a historic comeback at universities nationwide," Huston added. "President Trump is committed to ensuring every American student can learn in the best possible environment and succeed — so our nation continues to lead the world for generations to come."WHY ELITE COLLEGES FEAR TRUMP AND MCMAHON'S NEW ACADEMIC COMPACT TYING FUNDING TO FREE SPEECHMnookin told the Times that many universities went through a period of time "deeply focused" on identity, where they were not focused on viewpoint diversity."I think universities should be spaces where ideas, and different ideas, embodied by people from different backgrounds, come together, and where it won’t always be comfortable, but where we will learn and do better from that engagement," she said.Roth sounded the alarm over Project 2025, calling it a "perilous moment" for universities. He urged his counterparts not to ignore the White House’s agenda.Mnookin pushed back, saying, "But Michael, a commitment to viewpoint diversity and to pluralism should, in fact, prevent capture. It should prevent external capture and internal capture.""And it should be a way of thinking about a piece of our mission, and looking for excellence that can actually bring people together, even across their differences," she added.