I'm Charles Koch and I'd lke to buy me some teachers.
The St. Petersburg Times tells me this morning that billionaire libertarian Charles Koch dangles needed money in front of college deans and gets his way. He gets veto power over professors for the program he’s funding.
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. . .
In return [for his donation], 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. The power of university faculty and officials to choose professors without outside interference is considered a hallmark of academic freedom. . . .
Most universities, including the University of Florida, have policies that strictly limit donors’ influence over the use of their gifts. Yale University once returned $20 million when the donor demanded veto power over appointments, saying such control was “unheard of.”
Jennifer Washburn, who has reviewed dozens of contracts between universities and donors, called the Koch agreement with FSU “truly shocking.”
Said Washburn, author of University Inc., a book on industry’s ties to academia: “This is an egregious example of a public university being willing to sell itself for next to nothing.”
A pubic university, largely taxpayer funded has let a libertarian buy influence on their curriculum. That’s the way the oligarchs do it in Russia.
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
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And it’s only $1.5 million. Sure gave control away cheap. I heard he’s already turned down more than 60 applicants. What were they thinking????
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If you mean that FSU dean, what a jerk!
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About two months ago, MIT had a dedication ceremony for a new cancer research building. Guess who’s name is on it? None other than David Koch.
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No surprise. Let ’em endow away, the more money the better. But they cross a line when they want to control teachers.
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I should have added, that Sen Scott Brown (R) Mass, was at the dedication, and was caught on a cell phone camera, asking Koch for help, when runs for reelection in 2012. You know damn well the Koch Bros will stuff his pockets.
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And he’s not even ideologically aligned with them. But a bought Senator is a bought Senator and if you pay enough, he stays bought.
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I read about this at the Florida Independent and was disgusted. Are their any pies the Koch Brothers don’t have their fingers in? How can we have a sound educational system when it is entwined with moneys and agendas?
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They are the major money behind Americans for Prosperity and that group is the major organizer of The Tea Party. For these guys, it’s all about what’s good for the bank accounts of the Koch brothers.
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