Section A01
Week 4
In the New York Times article "Why We Should Fear University, Inc.," Fredrik deBoer criticizes current campus politics and the ways in which "universities operate, every day, more and more like corporations" (deBoer). The corporatization and neoliberalism of the university has transformed the university into a "Fortune 500 company" fixated on profitization, rather than learning. Students have become customers, and professors have become devalued, struggling to attain tenure and often working as lecturers and instructors with limited contracts. deBoer also asserts that "It’s not unheard-of for colleges now to employ more senior administrators than professors," revealing the institutional flaws of the university and its corporate tendencies.
Although I found this information upsetting, I cannot say that I found it surprising. The neoliberalism and corporatization of college campuses, including our own UC Davis, has increased immensely since the 1980s. Additionally, the scandals surrounding former Chancellor Katehi last year have left me rather disillusioned with the university. I believe that the UC Davis administration views its students as customers in a capitalistic corporation, rather than as humans. Amy Block Joy's article regarding her whistleblowing and her discovery of embezzlement at UC Davis furthered my feelings of disillusionment and doubtfulness.
Question: Can students change the future of higher education through protest, or will the corporatization of our universities continue to exponentiate?
Sources
Deboer, F. (2015, September 9). Why we should fear university, inc. The New York Times Magazine, 1-8. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from https://canvas.ucdavis.edu/files/folder/courses_105891/Week%20of%20Readings/Week4?preview=1069178.
Joy, A. B. (2010). Whistleblower. Point Richmond, CA: Bay Tree Pub.
Kessler, A. (2015, October 12). [Corportization of University]. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from http://thetalon.ca/gupta-and-the-state-of-transparency-and-democracy-at-ubc/
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