“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>A recent article in the New York Times illuminated the growing influence of corporate donors on colleges and universities. Gone are the days when a donation to an institution of higher learning meant just getting your name put on a campus building. This growing trend, coupled with partisan political persuasions, will undoubtedly have a negative impact on academic freedom and intellectual property.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”>An unbelievable example of this kind of undue political pressure on a university happened right under our noses. In the now, old trick of editing video tapes for a desired political effect, Andrew Breitbart of bring down ACORN and FDA’s Shirley Sherrod fame used his despicable skill to destroy the reputations of Don Giljum and Judy Ancel. Giljum teaches labor studies at UMSL and Ancel at UMKC; both were accused of promoting violence by unions to protect workers’ rights.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN;” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>Gail Hackett, the UMKC provost, called the video what it is – “inaccurate and distorted.” Unfortunately, the knee-jerk reaction of her St. Louis colleagues resulting in the forced resignation of Giljum. UMSL Chancellor Thomas George and Provost Glen Cope have started to back pedal on their positions when they received a wave of protests in support of Giljum who is respected both on and off campus. I read a copy of Giljum’s letter; he is adamant that his resignation was not voluntary despite the university’s assertion that it was. (If there was no forced resignation, resolution should be easy: bring Giljum back on staff.)
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN;” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>I don’t know what Don Giljum’s ultimate outcome will be, but his situation is growing evidence that independent voices and views that don’t prop up a conservative agenda will be silenced. Progressive academicians have criticized these kinds of silencing attacks that also include defunding of departments or individual instructor’s budgets.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN;” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>Universities will defend budget cuts by pointing to dwindling dollars to higher education. This makes the institutions even more vulnerable to high rolling, politically backward donors who are emboldened to demand more for their dollars in the current right-wing political climate.
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“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>New York Times that billionaire Charles Koch pledged $1.5 million to Florida State University in exchange for having control over the new hires to its economics department. The foundation of banking company BB&T mandated that universities who take its money create a certain course and reading list; to date, about 60 colleges have taken the Kool-Aid.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”>The targeting of school and college campuses for products and advertising has already been institutionalized. It has produced a generation of young people who think they are consciously choosing the kind of beverage they drink, the sweater they wear or the video game they play. Instead, the idea was planted in their little head as an adolescent void of critical thinking skills to help them make choices that positive benefit them.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”>When students go to Oral Roberts or Brigham Young Universities, they know what they’re getting. When you send your child to a state university like UMSL or Florida State University, you don’t expect that some donor’s monies or some ideologue’s worldview will be shaping their young minds to serve a particular master.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”>Unless we wake up and oppose these influences in the learning laboratories, we can expect a stronger ideological monopoly on the one public space that should be encouraging a critical assessment of many viewpoints and theories, not just the unconscious embracing of one school of thought. “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;”>
