<p>The donation arrangement between businessman Koch and FSU is wrong. It is nice Koch giving money to FSU, but there are too many strings attached to the deal. Koch shouldn't be allowed to interfere in hiring decisions at FSU. This whole deal undermines the academic integrity of FSU and is a slap in the face of academic freedom. The arrangement does as much helping FSU's integrity and reputation as the once considered FSU College of Chiropractic would have done. FSU's administrators and board of trustees need to wake up and get off the far right track.</p>
<p>great… i plan on majoring in econ. </p>
<p>although i disagree with your title; the conditions of the donation are underhanded and self-serving, but as they’re not actually harming anyone, it’s in the morally ambiguous gray area. </p>
<p>i’ll only have a problem with it if my schooling becomes overrun with homogeneity.</p>
<p>That seems like a lot of power for only $1.5 million over 10 years.</p>
<p>The Koch/FSU contract also reduces FSU’s chances of being seriously considered for AAU membership to zero.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2011/PDFs/fsucontract.pdf[/url]”>http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2011/PDFs/fsucontract.pdf</a></p>
<p>Looks to me like FSU has veto power and all candidates must meet existing university faculty criteria. </p>
<p>Is this a tempest in a teacup?</p>
<p>Let the faculty being their economic ideas to the marketplace and sell them. Start the debate.</p>
<p>Academia shouldn’t be directed by the highest bidder.</p>
<p>Tallalassie, welcome to the real world. Academia, along with almost everything else, is directed by the highest bidder. Universities are businesses too and need money to function. I say we sen a thank you note to Mr. Koch and stop fussing.</p>
<p>Ok, then FSU should change its motto from “Vires, Artes, Mores” to “Argentum” or maybe “Whores-r-Us”.</p>
<p>I think you need to calm down. Lot’s of schools get funding like this, it’s not just spoken aloud</p>
<p>Credible universities don’t do deals like this FSU/Koch deal with the donor meddling in the school with the overly restrictive conditional strings for the funding. The deal conflicts with the very mission of FSU. From the FSU Mission Statement: “The university strives to instill the strength, skill, and character
essential for lifelong learning, personal responsibility, and sustained achievement within a community that fosters free inquiry and embraces diversity.”</p>
<p>Free inquiry doesn’t exist with Koch making funding conditional on them approving hires and being allowed to review work to make sure it is to their liking before continuing funding. FSU should inform Koch FSU wants to end the agreement if they won’t remove the restrictions that prevent “free inquiry.” If Koch will continue the funding and allow research to continue without their meddling, fine; if not, shake hands and say goodbye. The contract was signed in 2008 when FSU had different provost, president, trustees–just say FSU has had a change of heart and the new people at FSU now feel the contract conflicts with what FSU stands for and FSU wants strings restricting free inquiry removed from agreement or they want contract ended.</p>
<p>This doesn’t diminish FSU’s credibility. Any faculty hired will have to meet standard university performance criteria or they get fired. No one is telling FSU what to do. </p>
<p>Students will benefit because more highly qualified faculty will be available to teach and perform advanced research.</p>
<p>The St. Petersburg Time is notoriously left-biased, and this article is no exception. </p>
<p>Universities typically have liberal bias; it would seem this only adds to the diversity of opinion being taught by the economics department. If you read the article in its entirety and look at more than just what it tries to emphasize, you will notice that the Koch Brothers only have control over six faculty positions. Essentially, the Koch Brothers are paying the salary for the economics department to hire these extra faculty members. Additionally, the Koch Brothers basically have unlimited veto power. The University is making the ultimate decision on who is hired. In other words, BOTH parties must agree on hires. Is this ideal? No. Is it better than not having these extra faculty members at all? I would say so.</p>
<p>Thrown at the end of the article:
</p>
<p>If FSU is planning on keeping the new faculty members whether they receive the money or not, it would indicate that FSU is okay with its new faculty. </p>
<p>This isn’t a case of the University whoring itself out, but rather the University taking what it can get. It’s like getting a Toyota as a gift when you want a Lexus, but you can’t afford either. Toyota is still a good car, it’s better than no car, so you’d be an idiot not to take it. Hope that makes sense.</p>
<p>Of course, this article will try to have you believe we’re going rename the school Koch Brothers University if they give another million. That’s why I only read the Times for sports news.</p>
<p>I’m not privy to the full FSU/Koch contract and its details, nor any side deals, nor the actual manner this arrangement is working; I’ve still got reservations though about the appropriateness of the whole Koch/FSU deal and I think it has enough stink about it that the FSU community should keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t hurt FSU more than help FSU. Maybe President Barron could make a public statement about the matter to clarify things; right now FSU looks pretty stupid in the newspapers with the Koch arrangement.</p>
<p>[FSU</a> professors spark debate over donor money | fsunews.com |](<a href=“http://www.fsunews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110510/FSVIEW04/110510008&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL]FSU”>http://www.fsunews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110510/FSVIEW04/110510008&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL)</p>
<p>Tallalassie, if you’re concerned about FSU gaining AAU status, I’d be far more worried about the state of the College of Medicine and College of Engineering, more so the College of Engineering. Even without this Koch deal, FSU was no where near gaining AAU status in the next 20 years. By the time or if FSU ever gets its act together in engineering or medicine, this arrangement will be irrelevant and forgotten.</p>
<p>Precisely loller. Until FSU’s CoE is separate from FAMU, AAU status will be unattainable.</p>
<p>AAU membership for FSU and this Koch deal are two entirely separate issues. FSU has the ability to do something about the Koch deal, getting in AAU is largely beyond FSU’s control. I only mentioned AAU membership earlier in this thread because what I meant was that FSU is probably less respected by other peer universities for allowing the Koch deal at FSU.</p>
<p>As far as AAU membership for FSU, I’m not really sure AAU membership is a proper, realistic goal for FSU anymore in light of the goings on at the AAU the past year. The University of Nebraska was kicked out of AAU this month after being a member for over 100 years, and Syracuse University quit AAU recently before getting kicked out by the other member AAU schools. AAU is losing more members now than it is gaining. AAU now apparently wants powerhouse universities which have big research medical schools, and strong engineering schools, in addition to strong arts and sciences programs, and I’m not sure developing FSU’s to suit AAU’s likings matches up with the way FSU should focus its resources and development in coming decades. With recent changes in member profile criteria at AAU, I’m sure FSU planners and administrators will re-evaluate if FSU’s goal of gaining admission in AAU is appropriate and what FSU really wants now.</p>
<p>The hits keep on coming for FSU and this Koch deal:</p>
<p>[Koch</a> gift too costly for Florida State - St. Petersburg Times](<a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/koch-gift-too-costly-for-florida-state/1168851]Koch”>http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/koch-gift-too-costly-for-florida-state/1168851)</p>
<p>[The</a> new and improved FSU course catalog, brought to you by Charles G. Koch - St. Petersburg Times](<a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/the-new-and-improved-fsu-course-catalog-brought-to-you-by-charles-g-kochpp/1169038]The”>http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/the-new-and-improved-fsu-course-catalog-brought-to-you-by-charles-g-kochpp/1169038)</p>
<p>I cannot believe the Times made the front page article the “new and improved course catalog.”</p>
<p>I think I’ll stick to the Trib from now on. What a rag.</p>
<p>It wasn’t that long ago that libertarianism was considered a fringe movement. </p>
<p>FSU’s econ dept. isn’t the only one with major conflicts of interest:</p>
<p>[Larry</a> Summers and the Subversion of Economics - The Chronicle Review - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“Larry Summers and the Subversion of Economics”>Larry Summers and the Subversion of Economics)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20110511/BREAKINGNEWS/110511016/FSU-Faculty-not-Koch-Foundation-made-hiring-decisions[/url]”>http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20110511/BREAKINGNEWS/110511016/FSU-Faculty-not-Koch-Foundation-made-hiring-decisions</a></p>
<p>Surprise Surprise… The article for the Times contained several inaccuracies, exaggerated and twisted the truth just to get attention… Nothing more than a liberal rag.</p>
<p>At least Aramark is no longer alone on my **** list of companies.</p>