Week 4 - EuJune Kim

EuJune Kim
Week 4
A03

Topic: Corporatization of the University

I read "Unmaking of the Public University" by Christopher Newfield and was once again blown away by the truths it uncovered about the public university and the American higher education system. The introduction, while it may be only a few pages, revealed much about why the universities were the way that they are.

A strikingly beautiful statement left me intrigued. It was one of the 3 principles that had been "central to the rise of the public university as a dynamic institution" in the United states. The principle was "educational needs should dictate budgets and not the other way around." This connected with me on a lot of levels as I believe that education should not matter on the levels of wealthiness.

Newfield goes on to say that the "Right" has been the main threat to the idea of 'university' as they advocated for huge budget and program cuts while "discrediting cultural conditions." Again the common underlying theme of this entire ASA002 course can be found here: social engineering. A bunch of wealthy, in-power (presumably white male) people decided to void other people from rising to success/affluence as they did not want to share the wealth. Thus, using their widespread resources, they put all their efforts into discrediting education and consequently, establishing a cultural and social hierarchy. Their idea of "New University" is concretely founded on its economic contribution rather than its contributions to society and "actual" higher learning.

Following this up with "Whistleblower Police", Instructor Amy Block Joy's experiences can sum up what it is like to try to uncover the truth and dismantle the system. She is put through rigorous interviewing and questioning for blowing the whistle on an alleged embezzlement case. She is sent through a chaos of emotions as she does not know what will happen to her. It highlights a bit of the sense of how the social and cultural hierarchy functions and how some people will do anything to keep it intact.

My question is: What can we do to bring more attention to the truth? Universities are being constructed more and more to generate income rather than nurture and foster education. How can we, as students, let our voices be heard in bringing back the true idea of higher education?

References:
1. Newfield, Christolher. "Introduction." Introduction. Unmaking the Public University: The Forty-year Assault on the Middle Class. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard UP, 2011. N. pag. PDF.
2. Joy, Amy Block. "Police." Whistleblower. Point Richmond, CA: Bay Tree Pub., 2010. 1-9. Print.
3. Education (1). Digital image. Attack the System. Wordpress, 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2017.