While half paying attention and half scanning Instagram in class, it may never cross your mind that a pair of billionaires paid millions of dollars to subtly promote their ideals, with your professor as their talking head.
Although it sounds like conspiracy theory brouhaha, this is actually happening for students taking classes in the economics department of Florida State University.
In 2011, the Charles Koch Foundation pledged $1.5 million to the FSU economics department in order to create a Koch-appointed committee in charge of hiring faculty members and conducting annual evaluations. The agreement also stipulates that the curriculum it funded is aligned with the Koch Brothers’ libertarian, deregulatory economic philosophy.
(I think it’s important to interject here and make sure you know that Koch is pronounced “coke” and not “cock.”)
Via: Mindy Fischer Writer
Sorry, back to the point.
The deal has sparked both internal and national outcry, in large part because of the Koch brothers’ involvement in conservative politics and notoriety. They are known for their dedication to promoting an unregulated free market economy and strong-armed opposition to government intervention. During the 2012 election cycle, their network of donors raised $400 million for Republican and Tea Party candidates.
“It is not unusual for wealthy donors to endow professorships,” NPR reported. “What is unusual, critics say, is for donors to help decide who’s hired for the position.”
Critics argue that the arrangement between FSU and the Charles Koch foundation severely compromises the academic integrity of the school’s economics department. Most universities, such as the University of Florida, have policies that restrict donor influence.
Yale University gave back an alleged $20 million dollars when the donor stipulated that he have veto power over appointments, saying that amount of control was “unheard of.”
Via: UNDOC
This arrangement is public knowledge and numerous national publications have written exposés regarding the corruption of the FSU economics department, as well as the complex web of the Koch brother’s donations. Florida State is just one school out of the 163 documented recipients of Koch funding (you can see a full list of the beneficiaries here). Although this information is readily available, many FSU students are unaware that their education is being manipulated by two billionaire oil tycoons.
Leaked e-mails from the chair of the FSU economics department, Bruce Benson, describe the “ethical/moral issues” that accompany this arrangement.
Benson wrote, “Some will object to having any group trying to use our department as a means of furthering their political agenda…Unfortunately, the reality is that we live and work in an environment that is subject to all sorts of political manipulations.”
He continued, “They want to expose students to what they believe are vital concepts about the benefits of the market and the dangers of government failure, and they want to support and mentor students who share their views. If we are not willing to hire such faculty, they are not willing to fund us.”
Via: Popular Resistance
Benson himself is no stranger to political manipulation — he was offered $105,000 by the Charles G. Koch Foundation to extend his tenure with FSU to see the Koch contract to completion.
In fact, numerous faculty members in the FSU economics department have ties to Koch Organizations.
Lora Holcombe teaches “introduction to principles of macroeconomics,” which is a required course for all business and economics majors. Holcombe is a member of the Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), an organization created by Koch Family Foundations. The required textbook for her introductory class, “Macroeconomics: Private and Public Choice,” was written by authors with Koch ties.
Among these authors is: James Gwartney, the president, vice president and executive board member of APEE and adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, which was founded by Charles Koch; Richard Stroup, a fellow at the Cato Institute and the director of the Koch-founded Institute for Energy Research; Russell Sobel, executive board member of the Association of Private Enterprise Education and affiliate of the Cato Institute.
Via: Liberals Unite
The new president of FSU, John Thrasher, is a former state legislator whose campaign received more than $2,000 from Koch Industries.
While in the Florida Senate, Thrasher supported a recently passed law that now allows universities to closed-to-the-public meetings with outside donor groups, essentially preventing students from knowing if private funding is influencing the academic integrity of their college. This is especially dangerous because while the Koch/FSU agreement was made public, universities will not be obligated to disclose any such transactions that happen in the future.
In response to public outcry, FSU administrators re-evaluated the school’s relationship with the Charles Koch Foundation. The new deal made only minor changes, limiting the number of Koch representatives on the advisory board to one and requiring that the board not hire new faculty, although after new hires are made the board can decide whether the Koch Foundation money will be used to pay his or her salary.
Via: Daily Kos
The most concerning aspect of this agreement is that many students are unaware of its existence.
It is a direct insult to the principles of academic freedom to allow mega-donors to fund departments and impose curricula that reflect their own business interests and political strategies.
Moral of the story: Money may not buy happiness, but it can buy you the entire department of a university to indoctrinate with your own personal economic views.
It’s a wonderful world.
Feature photo courtesy of: Political Moll
