David Noble has a lecture on 'Digital Diploma Mills: The automation of
higher education' in the latest issue of 'Science as Culture' which mentions
this, together with a report by Langdon Winner of a conference in April 1998
discussing the implications of increasing use of 'remote learning' and
corporate penetration of higher education.
One point too often forgotten is that the objects of this education, the
students, are rarely given any choice about how they are taught or what
facilities are provided for them.
Bruce Robinson
>
>Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 10:05:33 -0600
>From: "ransdell, joseph m." <ransdell who-is-at door.net>
>To: peirce-l who-is-at TTACS.TTU.EDU
>Subject: another department sold
>
>from the Chronicle of Higher Education Nov 25, 1998:
>
> DESPITE OBJECTIONS from within and outside the institution,
> the University of California at Berkeley has signed a
> $25-million, five-year research agreement with a Swiss
> life-sciences company, Novartis. Under the agreement,
> Novartis will provide money to the university's plant and
> microbial biology department in return for first crack at
> commercializing the department's research findings.
>
>------------
>
>going . . . going . . . sold! Next department, please!
>
>posted by Ransdell
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Joseph Ransdell <ransdell who-is-at door.net> or <bnjmr@ttu.edu>
> Department of Philosophy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX 79409
> Area Code 806: 742-3158 office 797-2592 home 742-0730 fax
> ARISBE: Peirce Telecommunity website - http://www.door.net/arisbe
>
>
>On Thu, 26 Nov 1998, nate wrote:
>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Phil Graham <pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au>
>> To: xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
>> Date: Thursday, November 26, 1998 7:15 AM
>> Subject: Re: drive-thru education (not)
>>
>>
>>
>> Corporations are taking over everything because Goverments are
>> abandoning everything. More and more schools are signing
>> contracts with Coke and Pepsi because school boards, tax payers,
>> etc are no longer willing to fund Public Education. In
>> reference to Phil it seems the trend is just the opposite of the
>> dialectical position you mentioned which maybe makes that
>> position even more important.
>>
>> In the U.S they say our legacy is based on Locke's social
>> contract that Diane mentioned earlier. We have a constitution
>> that applies to goverment, but not to corporate america. One
>> does not have constitutional rights in reference to a
>> corporation. We have a man named Bill Gates who is wealthier
>> than many if not most countries.
>>
>> This at some level reminds me of Phil's earlier attacks at
>> diversity or progressives. Regress is being seen as progress as
>> in the cuts in education, cuts in aid to the poor etc. Business
>> and corporations are being sold as the ones who can solve all
>> our social ills. I think its easy to see corporations as taking
>> over while not acknowledging the fact that goverments, society,
>> schools see them as an easy solution to our social problems. I
>> just get the feeling we have been here before. Who says
>> history is dead?
>>
>> Nate
>>
>> Diane wrote:
>>
>> Phil,
>> >>
>> >>at the risk of being a reductionist: the fact is corporations
>> are taking over
>> >>EVERYTHING. So, it seems to me now is the time to strategize
>> how to use
>> >>that to the advantage of an education;
>> >
>> Phil wrote:
>>
>> >Sorry. I cannot countenance accepting such a trend. In fact, I
>> would go so
>> >far as to suggest that it cannot continue. The trend for
>> academics,
>> >asepcially those in administrative positions, to take up the
>> discourse
>> >legitimises the process. It is an abhorrent trend thought for
>> me to think
>> >that academics would succumb to or endorse such a thing. Here,
>> dear Hodges,
>> >we definitely diverge. Dialectic opposition is the only course
>> of action
>> >for conscientious educators.
>>
>>
>>
>
>