The Privatization of Higher Education
Governor (and likely Presidential candidate) Scott Walker announces ($300,000,000 of cuts to Wisconsin higher education, offering in exchange greater “independence” from state regulation. What this is likely to mean is staff and faculty layoffs, tuition increases, larger class sizes, more students from out of state, and threats to shared governance and tenure.Among the many disturbing features of this proposal is the belief that higher education ought to be treated as a business, as per this comment (way down in the story below):”
Ray Cross, president of the University of Wisconsin System, made it clear tuition increases were in the cards because new flexibility for his office means that universities can now ‘manage pricing in a way that reflects the market and actual costs.'”
(Because the marketplace is the true measure of all thing, yeah?)
Stephen Padgett
Is this the same Governor Scott Walker who wants to spend $220,000,000 on a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks?