Billionaire financier Marc Rowan, co-CEO of Apollo Global Management, is emerging as a key architect behind the Trump administration’s controversial “Compact for Academic Excellence,” which ties federal funding to conservative-aligned policies in higher education. From pushing out Penn’s president in 2023 to drafting templates for the compact, Rowan’s influence shows how wealthy powerbrokers are reshaping America’s universities from behind the scenes. The Trump administration stirred higher education this week when it unveiled a proposal offering benefits to universities that signed a “compact” closely aligned with conservative priorities. But much of the plan’s design took place far from the West Wing....