Koch-addicted universities

[marmar]

from thinkprogress:



.....(snip).....

– West Virginia University: As ThinkProgress reported last year, Koch funds an array of academic programs at West Virginia University, a public university. One Koch-funded academic at WVU, economics professor Russell Sobel, has written a book blasting regulations of all types. He even argues that less mine safety regulations will make coal miners more safe. As the St. Petersburg Times reported, a similar arrangement has been made with WVU as with FSU in accepting at least $480,000 from Koch.

– Brown University: The Charles Koch Foundation funds the Political Theory Project at Brown, which provides funding for “Seminar Luncheons for undergraduates, academic conferences, research fellowships for graduate students, support for faculty research, and a postdoctoral fellowship program.” Amity Shales, a pop-conservative writer who argues that the New Deal made the Great Depression worse, an odd theory promoted by Charles Koch himself, has been a featured speaker at the Koch-funded Project at Brown. Moreover, Koch’s donation of at least $419,254 to Brown has underwritten a number of research projects in the Economics and Political Science deparments, including a paper arguing that bank deregulation has helped the poor.

– Troy University: The Charles Koch Foundation, along with the Manuel Johnson and the BB&T Foundation, provided Troy University, a public university, a gift of $3.6 million to establish the Center for Political Economy last year. The Center’s stated goal is to push back against the belief following the financial crisis that markets need regulation. Notably, the entire Advisory Council for the Center is made up of Koch and BB&T-funded professors at other universities, including Russell Sobel at West Virginia University and Peter Boettke at George Mason University. Currently, the Center’s only staffer, Professor Scott Beaulier, is a board member of the ExxonMobil-funded attack group, American Energy Alliance, and a former staffer for Koch’s think tank at George Mason.

– Utah State University: The Charles Koch Foundation has given nearly $700,000 to Utah State University, mostly for the Huntsman School of Business. The money has been used to hire five new faculty members, and establish a program for undergraduates to enroll and learn about Charles Koch’s “Science of Liberty” management theory. Professor Randy Simmons, the “Charles G. Koch Professor of Political Economy” at the school, helps select students — who must provide information about their ideological interests in their application form — to the Koch program. Simmons also works for several Koch-funded front groups, and writes papers against environmental regulations. Charles Koch’s book, “The Science of Success,” a book Forbes mocked for proclaiming a “Marxist faith in ‘fixed laws’ that govern ‘human well-being,’” is part of the required reading list for the program. A representative for Utah State did not return ThinkProgress’ calls about conditional strings attached to the Koch grant. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/11/koch-university-takeover/

[bbgrunt]

1. atrocious. k and r

[sasha031]

2. I think this is so dangerous

we are going to have a new generation of Rand nuts.

[Buzz Clik]

3. Pure sleaze. Universities are doing this all the time.

[KamaAina]

4. Two of our finest DUers are WVU students

Lyric and Rhythm. Lyric in particular will no doubt be appalled to hear of this!

[seafan]

5. The GOP game plan: Turn higher education into privately-funded right wing think tanks

This is highly dangerous.


In response to this piece from Think Progress:

REPORT: Koch Fueling Far Right Academic Centers At Universities Across The Country


West Virginia University. Brown University. Troy University. Utah State University.

And now Florida State University.



Under the terms of a deal with a Charles G. Koch charity, FSU must have some new hires approved by Koch’s advisory committee. (AP, 2007)


St. Petersburg Times
May 11, 2011

Florida State University's economics department needs to reconsider its relationship with billionaire Charles G. Koch, who pledged $1.5 million to the school as long as professors hired with the money hew to Koch's Libertarian philosophy. The arrangement reeks of pandering and undermines academic freedom, the cornerstone of American higher education.

Under the terms of a 2008 deal with the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, FSU's economics department is scheduled to receive $1.5 million over six years to hire professors. But faculty members hired with foundation money must be approved by an advisory committee handpicked by Koch. That means Koch effectively holds veto power, an arrangement rarely found in the academic community and that threatens independent thinking.

FSU, like many colleges and universities throughout Florida, struggles with increasing budgetary constraints. The very fact the university would be willing to forgo its independence in hiring for just $250,000 a year is disturbing, but perhaps should not be unexpected given the continuing cuts in state funding and the state Legislature's limits on tuition. After all, lawmakers have told higher education to be more creative in finding outside support.

But such blatant pandering undermines the institution's credibility and would be just as improper if a wealthy liberal benefactor such as George Soros demanded his own professors for hire.

.....

Koch has received something far more substantial for his mere $1.5 million in generosity — unchallenged access to FSU classrooms.

Howard Troxler at the St. Petersburg Times addresses this ominous turn of events in his usual brilliant fashion:


The new and improved FSU course catalog, brought to you by Charles G. Koch


May 12, 2011

ECON 201: FREE MARKET THEORY. Sponsored and faculty approved by: Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation. Evils of government regulation; wisdom of tax cuts for the rich; rehabilitation of trickle-down theory. 3 credit hours.

.....

GEOLOGY 145: OIL SPILLS REVISITED. Sponsored and faculty approved by: British Petroleum. Beneficial effects of crude-oil application to wildlife, ocean bottoms; positive effects on financial market speculation. 3 credit hours; 1 lab hour observing ducks being cleaned by free market forces.

.....

AGRI SCIENCE 202: OUR FRIEND CORN SYRUP. Sponsored and faculty approved by: American Corn Council and DiabTech Inc., makers of adult-onset diabetes pharmaceuticals. Why the entire U.S. food supply should be converted to high-fructose corn syrup. 3 credit hours.

PUBLIC ADMIN 305: MODERN PLANNING PRACTICE. Sponsored and faculty approved by: Florida Chamber of Commerce. Why communities do not need to consider the impacts of growth on traffic, schools and other services. 3 credit hours.

.....

The mind-numbing descent of education in America into third world status continues.