Kollege kapers
Not only at left-wing bastions such as Columbia and other Ivy League schools is the fox in charge of the hen house. Oral Roberts U. is in trouble, it appears.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Today it is the mandarins of big-money academia — regardless of politics — who live high off the fat of the land via inflated tuitions, unquenchable fundraising drives, Wall Street-fueled endowments, government grants and non-profit status. At Dartmouth, the entrenched bureaucracy is struggling with activist alumni that want to prevent the school from becoming responsive to any but its self-perpetuating institutional self. At Ave Maria, admittedly no Dartmouth — well, who knows what’s happening? This is all related to the political correctness and on-the-fly ethical situationalism displayed by Columbia’s recent provision of a platform for Iran’s fascist president, because ultimately it’s about a class — the heads of universities and the trustees they put in place to keep them there — that answers to no one.
Perhaps at some point Congress will recognize that there is little functional difference between these institutions and “for profit” corporations, and require regulation and disclosure in academia the way they do under the securities laws. In both cases, the people at the top make a lot of money and bear virtually no risk for where they take their institutions. The difference is that shareholders in corporations can sell their stakes any time if they don’t like corporate governance; alumni and students are stuck with their alma maters and sheepskins forever.
UPDATE: Emerges a meme.
October 7th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
“Today it is the mandarins of big-money academia…”
“At Dartmouth, the entrenched bureaucracy is struggling with activist alumni that want to prevent the school from becoming responsive to any but its self-perpetuating institutional self. At Ave Maria, admittedly no Dartmouth — well, who knows what’s happening?”
Ron, you’re becoming a much more relaxed, fluid, adroit, and even humorous writer and commentator.
It’s a pleasure to read you sometimes. You make me laugh.
October 7th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Jack, that is very nice of you to say. Thank you.
December 13th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
[...] something’s way out of whack [...]