Sorry! I posted the unedited, unfinished version! Here is the real deal:
Hello! Glad to see that you have turned to Google Answers for some
advice on a topic that is near and dear to me, as a journalist and
product of a university committed to Truth. The issue: the
corporatization of universities--not in the strictest sense of the
word, but rather that universities are now moving towards touting
themselves with corporate statistics like, "76% of our MBA grads make
more than 6 figures."
I totally concur with your disdain for this new university model, but
have certainly found ways to counter this, at least on the microcosmic
level.
As an appetizer, consider this great summation of the impetuses
driving universities to operate under this corporate model:
"The partnership between university/industry in academia has developed
into a full-fledged assembly line designed to engage research efforts
as trade and profit endeavors rather than hard work that sifts for
answers over and over again until the absolute truth can be unlocked
and shared with society. The instantly recognizable gain for humanity
by this process is the continued evolution of civilization. And yet,
to the delight of multinational corporations, the erosion of the
university and professorial
autonomy, and the displacement of the traditionally open debate of
academia by corporate norms of proprietary secrecy, threatens the
future of our society's evolution."
(The Corporate Conquest Of The University, By Robert Miranda. [2001]
source: http://www.campusdemocracy.org/corpconquest.html)
The answer is crystal clear, and in the form of a very well known symbol: $.
Now, let us find a solution for you, which is, indeed the question.
First, there are three BASIC routes that you can take to attain a
degree from an accredited university:
1) Public: State-funded, totally secular.
Example: Ohio State University
2) Private-Secular: Privately run, but without any religious
affiliation. Funded by wealthy alumni, private associations and either
research or corporations.
Example: Northwestern University
3) Private-Religious: Privately run, with religious affiliation.
Funded by wealthy alumni, private associations, by either research or
corporation, and the religious affiliate. Could be Catholic, Jesuit,
Christian, Jewish, etc?
Example: DePaul University
From Robert Miranda's article, we find the key to differentiation:
"To be sure, corporate-driven research undermines objectivity. The
difference between corporate-driven and university driven research is
simple: corporations are concerned with making money, while
universities are concerned with finding the truth."
(source: http://www.campusdemocracy.org/corpconquest.html)
Here lies another means of categorization that directly lends itself
to the question at-hand:
1) Research-driven: University is sponsored by the academic,
peer-reviewed research conducted. Professors "publish or perish," as
the saying goes.
2) Corporate-driven: Even if the university is research-heavy, it can
still be funded by corporations, oftentimes, pharmaceutical companies
hoping to get a plug out of the deal.
So, how DO you find a university that does not have such corporate
undertones, serving the public in no other way than producing
corporate execs, assembly-line style?
*You have to look at the university?s culture as a whole: the website,
the chancellor?s/dean?s educational background and history (CEO of X
Corporation or PhD in Sociology?), list of organizations, Google
research, etc. Checking out sponsorship is a great place to start.
*Do they maintain a list of corporate/research sponsors that are all
blatantly proprietary in nature? Chances are, that is not the place
for you. Universities that pride themselves in their ultra-academe
culture are MUCH MORE likely to put forth the effort to not sell out
and mass-produce executives.
*Check out the universities sponsorship of social-justice
organizations. Do they pooh-pooh your request for a list of campus
activism organizations and direct your attention to their outstanding
Greek system instead? Chances are, this is not the place for you.
Please read through the following for more rationale behind this new order:
(source: www.lirne.net/resources/netknowledge/garnham.pdf)
?The incorporation of the university sector into the information economy agenda
has two major effects. First, universities are seen as key producers of the human
capital ? the so-called knowledge workers ? upon which national economic
competitiveness and future economic growth are seen to depend. This is also often
linked to a skills gap interpretation of inadequate rates of
productivity growth and
higher than necessary levels of unemployment. This view of the
universities? role is
having two major effects. It tends to make both the curriculum and the research
agenda more narrowly pragmatic and ?vocational?. The properly critical element
of university education and research gives way in the face of a corporate and
government agenda and students are encouraged to see themselves primarily as
clients whose investment pays off in terms of the job market.?
(Nicholas Garnham, Universities, Research and Public Interest)
The issue is that today, education is seen as a corporate investment
by many universities. It is a commodity, and any commodity can be
acquired for a price. Check for that in your research.
I would really like you to start your search with Jesuit universities.
Jesuit universities are historically known to be the MOST committed to
issues of social justice, and LEAST committed to the corporate model.
In a Jesuit university classroom, you are MUCH more likely to find a
philosophy professor engaging in a discussion with the class about
Truth, with a capital T, than Profit, with a capital P. The religious
aspect of a Jesuit education is scant, at best. You are more likely
to question more about organized religion with your degree in hand
than on your first day, prior to this exposure. That?s okay. They
like it that way.
How do I know all of this? I went to Loyola (and was not Catholic, by the way!)
Here you will find a list of Jesuit universities:
http://www.ajcunet.edu/areas/ji/members.asp
Please ask for clarification if you need anything else answered. This
is not an objective question, leaving much to interpretation. I hope
we have given you what you are looking for!
Have a Great Day!
Thank You!
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