CU seeks right-wing prof

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Daily Camera

BOULDER — How liberal is the University of Colorado at Boulder?

The campus hot-dog stand sells tofu wieners. A recent pro-marijuana rally drew a crowd of 10,000, roughly a third the size of the student body. And according to one professor’s analysis of voter registration, the 800-strong faculty includes just 32 Republicans.

Chancellor G.P. “Bud” Peterson surveys this landscape with unease. A college that champions diversity, he believes, must think beyond courses in gay literature, Chicano studies and feminist theory. “We should also talk about intellectual diversity,” he says. So over the next year, Mr. Peterson plans to raise $9 million to create an endowed chair for what is thought to be the nation’s first Professor of Conservative Thought and Policy.

Mr. Peterson’s quest has been greeted with protests from some faculty and students, who say the move is too — well, radical. “Why set aside money specifically for a conservative?” asks Curtis Bell, a teaching assistant in political science. “I’d rather see a quality academic than someone paid to have a particular perspective.”

Even some conservatives who have long pushed for balance in academia voice qualms. Among them is David Horowitz, a conservative agitator whose book “The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America” includes two Boulder faculty members: an associate professor of ethnic studies who writes about the intersection of Chicano and lesbian issues, and a philosophy professor focused on feminist politics and “global gender justice.”



Read more: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/may/13/cu-seeks-right-wing-prof/

[Cant trust em]

1. The first two sentences piss me off

continuing to promote liberal stereotypes is annoying.

[Quantess]

2. A quota. How interesting.

It's like affirmative action for conservatives.

[WCGreen]

3. That chair for the professor of Coservative Thought and Policy

would be pretty limit in scope.

No government except for national defense.

After that, you're on your own.

Pretty much sums up conservatism for me.

[nxylas]

15. And police and courts

We need to protect the property rights of the haves from the depredations of the parasitic have-nots.

[KamaAina]

4. Define "conservative".

Could Ron Paul apply, for instance? How embarrassing it would be for the chancellor to have his hand-picked professor of Conservative Studies speaking at an anti-war rally!

[Tempest]

5. “We should also talk about intellectual diversity”

You won't get that with a professor of conservative thought and policy.

[Fedja]

8. I disagree.

Conservativism has a place in society. The problem is the Republican party isn't "conservative". An academic definition of "liberal" versus "conservative" transgresses US politics and parties.

Look at it this way, many developed countries around the world consider the US Democratic party centrist bordering on conservative. They also consider the Republican party to be off the scale and in the militant/nutjob area.

In the fluctuating (academic) cycle of government, one would have a liberal faction that would stab business in the face and focus on the people, slowly driving up taxes to provide for more and more free services and class equality. They would outright ban ALL firearms and might even limit the carry of firearms for police, they would make abortion free and would lower the age of independent consent for abortion elegibility, they would lower jail terms for various crimes etc.

Then, as they lost control a bit, the people's support would vane and they would elect a conservative government that would let the police carry guns on regular patrols and would kick the abortion age back up to 18, demanding parent approval for minors. The conservative government would buy a few tanks and cut budget subsidies for grafitti artists, lower taxes somewhat and would provide some incentives to businesses that were by now in need of a break.

That's the "cycle" in Europe at least, and if you compare it to the US situation, the Democrats are at most centrist. Part of the issue is that "liberal" by its true definition is labelled with the slur of "socialism" in the US, and that shifts the bar. There should be no discussion on subsidized and free healthcare. The question should be if that healthcare covers a boob-job or not. There should be no discussion about whether war is a good thing. There should be no discussion about whether you talk to governments you "don't like".

There are many conservatives out there that vote for a Democrat every year. They just don't know it because the system has them believe in the wrong scale of liberalism and conservativism.

[enlightenment]

11. Thank you for the thoughtful post.

While I'm not certain that creating an endowed chair is the way to go about it, a discussion of what the terminology means (instead of a Pavlovian response to the words) in academia is entirely appropriate.

[pdxprog]

13. It's true. For a visual that illustrates this, see Political Compass

Their chart positioning the 2008 US Primary candidates is at: http://www.politicalcompass.org/usprimaries2008

[Doctor_J]

16. Yes, but the Chancellor's complaint is that there are only 32 Repukes

so it seems clear to me that he is actively seeking someone who will parrot the lies of the current DC/media neocon juggernaut. and the idea that you have pay someone to present a particular viewpoint is disgusting.

[gratuitous]

19. Yes

Apparently the intellectually challenged need to be accounted for as well in the university setting. And what better way than to offer a little conservative welfare?

[Faygo Kid]

6. They've been bullied by Hannity about Ward Churchill, and some guy with money thinks he can own them

That's the school that fired Ward Churchill under tremendous pressure, so now they are supposed to take their marching orders from the likes of Hannity and this right-wing nutjob? This is what happens when you cave in to the Right.

[deadmessengers]

14. Churchill deserved it

Regardless of who pressured them to do it, Ward Churchill richly deserved to be fired for his plagiarism & academic fraud. He really made it easy for the reich wing, because he left the board with no reasonable alternative but to fire him.

[Dumak]

7. "Conservatism" should only be taught in a class on personality disorders

And NOT by those who suffer the disorder

[bbgrunt]

9. well, just wow. how about an endowed chair of fascism to

really promote diversity?

[rooboy]

10. This suggests they should reserve a chair for a Holocaust denier as well. n/t

[WindRiverMan]

12. As a graduate of CU I have to say

they have gone a little too far in their politically correct nonsense.


Let Boulder be Boulder, sure they are a little one-sided, but we are all intelligent boys and girls and can keep what we want and throw away the rest, without having a right winger professor dictating policy.

[Canuckistanian]

17. Conservatism is MORE than well respresented in America

Just tune into any AM radio, watch cable TV or surf any one of the THOUSANDS of conserative websites.

Academia can WELL do without this POV, since it is logically poorly validated and intellectually scattered as a valid school of thought.

Why the hell is Horowitz given such credence?

[Zorra]

18. Great! Start with the History of Conservatism - from the Spanish Inquisition

right through the Great Depression and Fascist Europe in the 30's on down to Bu*h, the PNAC and the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

It's a blueprint for the championing of hate, death, poverty, intolerance, and disease.

[treestar]

20. A professor of Conservative Thought doesn't have to be a Conservative

Isn't there an oxymoron in the very title, though?

[Sabriel]

21. Calling Ben Stein!

He'd be perfect for it, since he already has teaching experience from doing Ferris Bueller.

[chapel hill dem]

28. Ben would be great -- very entertaining at the least. He was the valedictorian at Yale Law 1970

and his J.D. could be considered a terminal degree and allow him to enter the "Professor" profession.

But, there would be very few cameras.

nah....

[ronnie624]

22. If the definition of 'conservative'

is the preservation of traditional views and opposition to change - and practically every dictionary agrees that it is - it is the last thing schools and universities need to be instilling in students. Such ideals will not prepare future generations for dealing with the serious issues they will face in the coming decades: global climate change; the degradation of the earth's biosphere; overpopulation; water and food shortages; the depletion of current energy sources; the threat of war on a scale never before imagined, etc, etc. Conservative 'thought' has shown conclusively that it simply does offer what is required to deal with these issues, and time is running out.

Our civilization is entering a dangerous era, in which genuine intellectual diversity, innovative thought and a desire for change to our current system will be required in order to guarantee the survival of our very species. Such ideals cannot be found in conservatism.

[Hannah Bell]

23. "If the definition of 'conservative'

is the preservation of traditional views and opposition to change"


Then there are few conservatives. The recent incarnation of the Republican party has acted as a revolutionary force.

Capitalism generally is revolutionary, not conservative.

[TZ]

24. Well that will do wonders for their academic reputation

if they hire some evolution denying, global warming denying pro-life idiot.
Yay for ignorance and political correctness. Me thinks somebody is being pressured from somebody in Colorado Springs....

[Runcible Spoon]

25. don't they have a business department?

that's usually where you can find the conservative intellectuals burrowed in.

[rexcat]

26. I think a professor who is left of center...

would be able to chair the position! Does it specifically say a conservative has to chair the position?

[Blue_Tires]

27. funny, because there are plenty of RW schools out there

(Regent, Liberty, Bob Jones, Univ. of Chicago, etc.) who will NEVER endow a prof. of liberal studies...

And I though conservatives didn't like "set-asides??" By definition, anyone who even applies for this can't be a real conservative...And $9 million is a lot for a chair -- I know a lot of schools who could fund a whole department on that...Anyone want to bet a big piece (i.e., 99 percent) of that 9 mil is coming from Coors?

[fascisthunter]

29. Yes... Let's Dumb Down CU

so we can make dumbasses with lot's of $$$$$$$$ feel more welcome.

"differing perspectives"

Does that include lies?

[jmowreader]

30. Any of us could teach that

You could go about this in one of three ways.

The way most of us would do it is to teach the dangers of rabid right-wing fundamentalism. This probably isn't what the Coors family wants, though. Then again...would you really trust someone who puts carbonated urine in cans that have "beer" written on them?

The right way would be to teach classical conservatism, and how it differs from the abomination the ultraright practices.

What's going to happen is they'll teach Fristism.