Week 4 - Lawrence Liu

Lawrence Liu

ASA 2 A01

Week 4

            Fredrik deBoer’s “Why We Should Fear University, Inc” informs the reader about the corporatization of the university. He focuses on how universities are increasingly run like corporations, where administrators outnumber professors and speech is regulated. The academic institution is becoming less focused on the academic aspect and more focused on the institution. Professor Valverde brought up in class how new instructors are being hired as adjuncts, with tenure becoming increasingly hard to achieve. deBoer’s article also lends support to the argument that education has become a mechanism that churns out good employees that follow rules. However, this runs in contrast with the fact that corporations have a strong demand for graduates who demonstrate creativity and initiative. Regardless of the fact, “university” as I have come to experience is extremely different from what the stories I heard 10 years ago of university as a place of challenging convention and stepping out of your comfort zone.

Question: Why isn’t there more being done to raise awareness and combat the injustice? Are the incumbents rooted in too deeply?

References:

Angst, Teena. Adjunct Orientation. 30 Sept. 2014, www.adjunctnation.com/wordpressaj/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/adjunct_orientation.png. Accessed 14 Oct. 2017.

DeBoer, F. (2015, September 09). Why We Should Fear University, Inc. New York Times Magazine. Retrieved October 14, 2017.