Gov. Walker and leaders in Wisconsin’s Republican-held Legislature are pushing the University of Wisconsin system to give a board largely picked by the governor far more control over firings and even curriculum.
Source: Unions Subdued, Scott Walker Turns to Tenure at Wisconsin Colleges – NYTimes.com
My view? Here is what I wrote.
“We can’t afford to turn our universities over to moneyed interests, political interest, or status driven interests, but we already have.
So, to whom do we turn over our universities? In today’s universities, few of the stakeholders have an interest in education. Most students need to learn, but few know what that means, or entails; professors know, but they have different interests. Administrators find it in their interest to keep “consumers” (aka “students”) happy. There is no easy answer.
To demonstrate how difficult the problem is, I have a blog inside-higher-ed . Anyone who wants to see how much administrators, most, not all, can’t be trusted with education, and how much professors, (many, not all) can’t be trusted period, see the following two stories on my blog: “A Tale Out of School” and “The Purloined Proof”. They are both documented on the blog, and the links are on the top menu.
I wish I could say giving power to those outside the university is dead wrong. But I can’t. It’s not right either. As I wrote, there is no easy answer. It will take public engagement. I hope it isn’t too late.”
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