Giving Universities the Business Essay -- essays papers

bighearted Universities the BusinessThe duty of America is business. Calvin CoolidgeTo talk in everyday, to think in solitude, to render and to hear, to inquire and answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar. Samuel JohnsonIn the last cristal years there has been a concerted movement in this country to re-design schools tally to the Business Model--a movement which has recently gained an apparently unstoppable momentum. We hear continually of the universitys need to open up new markets, to learn new ways to deal and create new customer bases simultaneously, we are bombarded with demands from the politicians and administrators who control our public funds to increase our productivity and accountability. (1)Justifications for this evangelical urge are various, but usually tamp down one of two forms the Times Are Tough argument, which assumes that the traditional sources of university revenues (tuition and public funds) are drying up, and that the logical substitute are Pro duct Dollars, i.e., money customers will only when spend for a product they have been convinced they either trust or need and the Schools Are Lazy argument, which assumes that universities are islands of idleness and inefficiency in the oceanic of Ameri roll in the hay business success, and that the missionaries from the business world can redeem our scholars by converting them to habits of rigor and accountability. Both of these models take their inspiration from the definitions of business which usually go fewthing standardized a commercial or industrial establishment where the demands of profit overshadow all other considerations. Interestingly enough, this and related definitions seem to assume profit can only be achieved through activities practical,... ...orgotten all close teaching ... the perpetrator is process--the belief that we can teach our children how to think without troubling them to learn anything worth view about. Quoted in Cultural Pedagogy Art/Education/ Politics, David Trend, Bergin & Garvey, New York, 1992.3 As I know this figure will be greeted by some with skepticism,a more detailed breakdown of the average academic work week is available in the WWW document Work Load Figures.4 though it may finally be dawning on some that business does not equal efficiency and success when it comes to education, as with Baltimores recent decision to clear its contract with EAI.5 For instance, the recent reorganization of GEDs was a perfect prospect to negotiate a matching reduction in teaching load, from 4/4 to the much saner (and standard) 3/3. Was a single word spoken about such a deal? Giving Universities the Business Essay -- essays papersGiving Universities the BusinessThe business of America is business. Calvin CoolidgeTo talk in public, to think in solitude, to read and to hear, to inquire and answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar. Samuel JohnsonIn the last ten years there has been a concerted movement in this country to re-design schools according to the Business Model--a movement which has recently gained an apparently unstoppable momentum. We hear continually of the universitys need to open up new markets, to learn new ways to compete and create new customer bases simultaneously, we are bombarded with demands from the politicians and administrators who control our public funds to increase our productivity and accountability. (1)Justifications for this evangelical urge are various, but usually take one of two forms the Times Are Tough argument, which assumes that the traditional sources of university revenues (tuition and public funds) are drying up, and that the logical substitute are Product Dollars, i.e., money customers will only spend for a product they have been convinced they either want or need and the Schools Are Lazy argument, which assumes that universities are islands of idleness and inefficiency in the ocean of American business success, and that the missionaries from the business world can redeem our scholars by converting them to habits of rigor and accountability. Both of these models take their inspiration from the definitions of business which usually go something like a commercial or industrial establishment where the demands of profit rule all other considerations. Interestingly enough, this and related definitions seem to assume profit can only be achieved through activities practical,... ...orgotten all about teaching ... the culprit is process--the belief that we can teach our children how to think without troubling them to learn anything worth thinking about. Quoted in Cultural Pedagogy Art/Education/Politics, David Trend, Bergin & Garvey, New York, 1992.3 As I know this figure will be greeted by some with skepticism,a more detailed breakdown of the average academic work week is available in the WWW document Work Load Figures.4 Though it may finally be dawning on some that business does not equal efficiency and success when it comes to ed ucation, as with Baltimores recent decision to terminate its contract with EAI.5 For instance, the recent reorganization of GEDs was a perfect opportunity to negotiate a matching reduction in teaching load, from 4/4 to the much saner (and standard) 3/3. Was a single word spoken about such a deal?