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Billionaire Koch Brother Buys Right to Determine Economic Professor at FSU
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Billionaire
www.tampabay.com
(visit the link for the full news article)
A conservative billionaire who opposes government meddling in business has bought a rare commodity: the right to interfere in faculty hiring at a publicly funded university.
A foundation bankrolled by Libertarian businessman Charles G. Koch has pledged $1.5 million for positions in Florida State University's economics department. In return, his representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting "political economy and free enterprise."
Traditionally, university donors have little official input into choosing the person who fills a chair they've funded.
Related News Links:
www.salon.com
editby]edit on 13-5-2011 by dwmjr1985 because: (no reason given)
edit on 13-5-2011 by dwmjr1985 because: (no reason
given)
edit on 13-5-2011 by dwmjr1985 because: (no reason given)
I was wondering how everyone on ATS feels about this. I personally would have no problem with this if it where a Private University, but I have mixed
feelings about this one. I feel like the goal here is to eliminate an opposing points of view, which can be a very dangerous thing. This also could
be a test, and if it works there, I have a feeling that many more billionaires will do the same at many other universities.
www.tampabay.com
(visit the link for the full news article)
www.tampabay.com
(visit the link for the full news article)
edit on 13-5-2011 by dwmjr1985 because: Spelling Errors.
Sounds like we have another "Leo Strauss" to look forward to...
That was kind of a joke, but who knows maybe that would be the case.
That was kind of a joke, but who knows maybe that would be the case.
reply to post by dwmjr1985
In what manner can this not be recognized as an affront to a publicly funded school? Just who was this "alumnus" who could return to his alma mater as an employee of Koch and secure such a deal?
And since when is it acceptable to 'buy and sell' the decision-making authority in a public institution.... oh wait.....
The words "political economy" explain it all, don't they?
David W. Rasmussen, dean of the College of Social Sciences, defended the deal, initiated by an FSU graduate working for Koch. During the first round of hiring in 2009, Koch rejected nearly 60 percent of the faculty's suggestions but ultimately agreed on two candidates.
In what manner can this not be recognized as an affront to a publicly funded school? Just who was this "alumnus" who could return to his alma mater as an employee of Koch and secure such a deal?
And since when is it acceptable to 'buy and sell' the decision-making authority in a public institution.... oh wait.....
.... In return, his representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting "political economy and free enterprise."
The words "political economy" explain it all, don't they?
reply to post by Maxmars
I couldn't agree with you more maxmars. By the way thank you so much for giving me applause for this post. I was a bit surprised that no one posted this earlier.
I couldn't agree with you more maxmars. By the way thank you so much for giving me applause for this post. I was a bit surprised that no one posted this earlier.
Oh wow, I totally agree with you on private point.
Seems strange these days, cause any little personal argument could end up ruining a career.
Seems strange these days, cause any little personal argument could end up ruining a career.
Wow. What century is this?
The feudal Lord has deigned to subsidize a school to brainwash the squalid subjects.
WTH FL!? I wonder what was in it for Governor/Convicted Felon/Tea Party darling Rick Scott?
The feudal Lord has deigned to subsidize a school to brainwash the squalid subjects.
WTH FL!? I wonder what was in it for Governor/Convicted Felon/Tea Party darling Rick Scott?
reply to post by kosmicjack
I have read an article that stated that we are entering a new age of Feudalism.
Are we returning to Feudalism
I have read an article that stated that we are entering a new age of Feudalism.
Are we returning to Feudalism
reply to post by dwmjr1985
UNREAL!
My brother has his Master's in Economics from FSU, and I still live here in Tallahassee. This is insane.
UNREAL!
My brother has his Master's in Economics from FSU, and I still live here in Tallahassee. This is insane.
reply to post by dwmjr1985
Heh, I knew we'd find a way to get rid of these Keynesian professors. I just never imagined that their economics would F*^% things up so much we could just buy them out!
Heh, I knew we'd find a way to get rid of these Keynesian professors. I just never imagined that their economics would F*^% things up so much we could just buy them out!
Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by dwmjr1985
UNREAL!
My brother has his Master's in Economics from FSU, and I still live here in Tallahassee. This is insane.
I found it hard to believe also. By the way, on a side note Great personal gun story you posted. Although the people you described reminded me of my uncles. They are very scary looking people.
reply to post by dwmjr1985
Well considering 9 out of 10 of my professors have been RAGING Liberal Progressives I say thank god. If any Liberal has an issue with this, they are nothing more than hypocrites.
For those saying private vs public.. a few points.
1. The Public school shouldn't have run out of money. Administrative issues absorb the most cost of universities (run mostly by Liberals)
2. One conservative in a vast sea of Liberals .. common ..
3. Is a conservative proff going to be worse than ... no proff? (Liberals don't answer that.)
Well considering 9 out of 10 of my professors have been RAGING Liberal Progressives I say thank god. If any Liberal has an issue with this, they are nothing more than hypocrites.
For those saying private vs public.. a few points.
1. The Public school shouldn't have run out of money. Administrative issues absorb the most cost of universities (run mostly by Liberals)
2. One conservative in a vast sea of Liberals .. common ..
3. Is a conservative proff going to be worse than ... no proff? (Liberals don't answer that.)
edit on 5/13/2011 by Rockpuck because: (no
reason given)
reply to post by Rockpuck
There are still quite a few Libertarian Professors out there. Here is a link.
List of Libertarian Professors
I'm guessing it could come in handy when you decide to put your child through college.
If you went to college in Portland, then I can see that most would be raging Liberal, As apposed to Brigham Young University in SLC.
There are still quite a few Libertarian Professors out there. Here is a link.
List of Libertarian Professors
I'm guessing it could come in handy when you decide to put your child through college.
If you went to college in Portland, then I can see that most would be raging Liberal, As apposed to Brigham Young University in SLC.
edit on
14-5-2011 by dwmjr1985 because: (no reason given)
edit on 14-5-2011 by dwmjr1985 because: (no reason given)
This is shocking!!!!!
Maybe it shouldn't be because FL's education system is going to the dump, but an obvious buy out of education??
I partially, somehow blame Rock Scott for this!
Maybe it shouldn't be because FL's education system is going to the dump, but an obvious buy out of education??
I partially, somehow blame Rock Scott for this!
reply to post by Rockpuck
I am all for the Conservative teaching agenda, and I totally agree that we have far too many liberal professors, but here are a couple of things to consider about FSU lowering its integrity this way.....
FSU takes in more income from patents than M.I.T.!!! Mostly from the Cancer drug Taxol, but the point is FSU has more funding than most other public Universities from its scientific breakthroughs and patents.
FSU has the #2 most recognized mascot in the country after Notre Dame. Its income from sports rights, broadcasts, and memorabilia is one of the highest in the country! So.....FSU has one of the highest patent incomes, and one of the highest sports and memorabilia income, plus it gets public funding, plus it has an extremely active booster and alumni association.
The point is this. $1.5 million is a drop in the bucket for FSU. It gets more than that to broadcast one football game.
Why would they sell their integrity so cheaply?
I am all for the Conservative teaching agenda, and I totally agree that we have far too many liberal professors, but here are a couple of things to consider about FSU lowering its integrity this way.....
FSU takes in more income from patents than M.I.T.!!! Mostly from the Cancer drug Taxol, but the point is FSU has more funding than most other public Universities from its scientific breakthroughs and patents.
FSU has the #2 most recognized mascot in the country after Notre Dame. Its income from sports rights, broadcasts, and memorabilia is one of the highest in the country! So.....FSU has one of the highest patent incomes, and one of the highest sports and memorabilia income, plus it gets public funding, plus it has an extremely active booster and alumni association.
The point is this. $1.5 million is a drop in the bucket for FSU. It gets more than that to broadcast one football game.
Why would they sell their integrity so cheaply?
Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Rockpuck
I am all for the Conservative teaching agenda, and I totally agree that we have far too many liberal professors, but here are a couple of things to consider about FSU lowering its integrity this way.....
FSU takes in more income from patents than M.I.T.!!! Mostly from the Cancer drug Taxol, but the point is FSU has more funding than most other public Universities from its scientific breakthroughs and patents.
FSU has the #2 most recognized mascot in the country after Notre Dame. Its income from sports rights, broadcasts, and memorabilia is one of the highest in the country! So.....FSU has one of the highest patent incomes, and one of the highest sports and memorabilia income, plus it gets public funding, plus it has an extremely active booster and alumni association.
The point is this. $1.5 million is a drop in the bucket for FSU. It gets more than that to broadcast one football game.
Why would they sell their integrity so cheaply?
It's the corporate stranglehold revealing its ugly head. UF has the same problem but they do it behind closed doors. The business/accounting schools at UF basically teach the students to suck the corporate teat and to LIKE IT or fail. They sell "professor made" textbooks that change every single semester because they just copy and paste from corporate propaganda and regurgitated material. This not only costs an extreme amount of money but further indoctrinates the naive.
"The Gator Nation is Everywhere."
Universities just whoring themselves out. I don't have a problem with this since most universities and colleges are bastions of left
liberal/communistic teachings, this will just even it out a tad. And a very small tad at that.
reply to post by dwmjr1985
Most of my college was done in Ohio, in a fairly conservative part of the state, and yet I had only 2 conservative teachers (I know for a fact, because every professor wears their political agenda like a giant dunce cap) One was former military and one was an immigrant from Lebanon.
In Portland, well I expected the situation, I think there are more conservatives than admit so, but honestly if your conservative in a place like Portland you rightfully should be afraid to speak your mind.
reply to post by getreadyalready
Having close relatives who are proffs I can say every proff I have met either as a student or just visiting family members, which I used to do quite often.. is that despite political belief there was one common understanding with all staff. They hate the Administrators. Despise even. From the way I understand it, the Admin doles out the cash to the various Colleges within the University, and most sports funding never goes beyond the Administrator. A lot of the funds are often used to build new buildings, like dorms,parking garages, erm .. stadiums .. but rarely ever to pay a teachers salary. When you have private donors, the idea is that wealthy donors pledge a specific class to fund a specific teacher. The whole odd ball thing about FSU, is that they sold a proff position, but this time they actually let the donor choose the proff. Normally admins would.
I do agree that if it became common practice, it would be concerning .. but then again, half the proffs out there are complete morons anyways, and that in it's self is concerning. IMO, an administration overhaul of public universities needs to be done, their incompetence is far more pressing an issue than political leanings of proffs.
Most of my college was done in Ohio, in a fairly conservative part of the state, and yet I had only 2 conservative teachers (I know for a fact, because every professor wears their political agenda like a giant dunce cap) One was former military and one was an immigrant from Lebanon.
In Portland, well I expected the situation, I think there are more conservatives than admit so, but honestly if your conservative in a place like Portland you rightfully should be afraid to speak your mind.
reply to post by getreadyalready
Having close relatives who are proffs I can say every proff I have met either as a student or just visiting family members, which I used to do quite often.. is that despite political belief there was one common understanding with all staff. They hate the Administrators. Despise even. From the way I understand it, the Admin doles out the cash to the various Colleges within the University, and most sports funding never goes beyond the Administrator. A lot of the funds are often used to build new buildings, like dorms,parking garages, erm .. stadiums .. but rarely ever to pay a teachers salary. When you have private donors, the idea is that wealthy donors pledge a specific class to fund a specific teacher. The whole odd ball thing about FSU, is that they sold a proff position, but this time they actually let the donor choose the proff. Normally admins would.
I do agree that if it became common practice, it would be concerning .. but then again, half the proffs out there are complete morons anyways, and that in it's self is concerning. IMO, an administration overhaul of public universities needs to be done, their incompetence is far more pressing an issue than political leanings of proffs.
reply to post by Rockpuck
I have heard that a lot of professors will also grade you on where you fall on the political spectrum as opposed to their ideologies. If you are going to a liberal school and can question the professors on their agenda, and the same goes for someone going to a conservative school, then you will get a worse grade than someone who simply sucks up to them. I know it will never exists but i personally wish one wasn't graded on their ideals in comparison to the teacher but rather they are doing the work they are supposed to do. I myself am former military, I'm 25 and am about to start college myself, I suppose the best thing I can do is find out my professors political beliefs and suck up to them early on to get the good grade..lol
I Would also like to thank everyone for their insightful input, this is what makes ATS one of the best sites on the web.
I have heard that a lot of professors will also grade you on where you fall on the political spectrum as opposed to their ideologies. If you are going to a liberal school and can question the professors on their agenda, and the same goes for someone going to a conservative school, then you will get a worse grade than someone who simply sucks up to them. I know it will never exists but i personally wish one wasn't graded on their ideals in comparison to the teacher but rather they are doing the work they are supposed to do. I myself am former military, I'm 25 and am about to start college myself, I suppose the best thing I can do is find out my professors political beliefs and suck up to them early on to get the good grade..lol
I Would also like to thank everyone for their insightful input, this is what makes ATS one of the best sites on the web.
reply to post by dwmjr1985
This is very true, the only grade dispute I ever had was with an anthropology professor that despised when I would question her assertions on things like pre-historic human civilization existed in a communistic paradise absent war, famine, and culture difference. Honestly I have no idea how the hell she ever became a teacher.. needless to say, I ended up having to go through the chairman of humanities to get the correct grade. The best way to get through politically raging proffs, be it liberal or conservative, is just nod and smile, but it makes it hard when there are op/ed questions on exams that you know they are looking for a politically biased answer. I know people that went to private catholic universities that were very conservative and had the same issues I had only flipped politically. Then again, you could be in my position where Conservatives and Liberals both hate you. Damn Libertarians with their conservative fiscal values and socially liberal beliefs!
This is very true, the only grade dispute I ever had was with an anthropology professor that despised when I would question her assertions on things like pre-historic human civilization existed in a communistic paradise absent war, famine, and culture difference. Honestly I have no idea how the hell she ever became a teacher.. needless to say, I ended up having to go through the chairman of humanities to get the correct grade. The best way to get through politically raging proffs, be it liberal or conservative, is just nod and smile, but it makes it hard when there are op/ed questions on exams that you know they are looking for a politically biased answer. I know people that went to private catholic universities that were very conservative and had the same issues I had only flipped politically. Then again, you could be in my position where Conservatives and Liberals both hate you. Damn Libertarians with their conservative fiscal values and socially liberal beliefs!