Billionaire Charles Koch's donation to FSU is wrong.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Florida State University
21

<p>Dr. Barron did release a statement Tuesday saying FSU wasn’t doing anything wrong. Dr. Barron also talked to editors at the St. Pete Times after the paper released its story Monday and before the St. Pete Times released its editorial Wednesday criticizing FSU. The explanations and defenses Dr. Barron gave the newspaper editors when he talked with them about the FSU/Koch deal mustn’t have been too convincing. FSU should end this Koch deal and chalk it up as experience; FSU doesn’t need this mess.</p>

22

<p>Many donors make stipulations in giving money. Whether the Koch deal is one that is too restrictive, I don’t know, but it isn’t unusual that money is directed. And I don’t blame the donors. I wouldn’t want a large contribution I make go directly for some cause I am dead set against. Colleges have been rudely and stupidly inconsiderate that way to the point of donors suing to get their money back.</p>

<p>My husband’s great uncle was truly well to do and left a foundation for philanthropy to continue after his death. Within 15 years, what was done with the foundation itself, never mind the fund, was unconscionable and pretty much ended any consideration from family members of ever giving money in large amounts, particularly in foundation form. They basically eliminated the name and merged the funds and the money is now going directly to some causes that he vehemently opposed including to a school he deliberately snubbed. This happens all of the time. You have to have stipulations, teeth to them and someone willing to bite if the beneficiary decides not to bother to go by the intent of the donor.</p>

23

<p>^^ A donor stipulating the donation be used to build an academic building and then the school using the money to buy football uniforms would be wrong. This Koch/FSU arrangement is wrong because it interferes with free academic inquiry at FSU: two different things.</p>

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<p>You would be surprised at many of the stipulations. They usually don’t get broadcast.</p>

25

<p>^^ FSU is a public state university. Florida has a “Sunshine” Law requiring any transactions be open for all to see. There shouldn’t be a problem with unbroadcast surprises at FSU.</p>

26

<p>Talla, you are correct. This deal very much diminishes FSU’s credibility. The deal gives one political agenda a great deal of control over what can be taught, who can be hired, and what kind of research/publications can be done. This is a public university. It should be a place of open ideas. The donation is fine, controlling the agenda is not.</p>

27

<p>Yay! FSU’s reputation as a top-notch research university grows stronger every day!</p>

28

<p>^^ FSU’s got swagger and will shake this out.</p>

29

<p>Blowback from this FSU/Koch deal is hurting FSU too much. Pressure building now from FSU alumni, faculty, students, donors, Fl. taxpayers, etc. is going to demand the Koch arrangement at FSU be cancelled or substantially modified. President Barron probably only defended the deal Tuesday after holdover trustees from 2008, when the contract was signed, and also other FSU background players and hotshots encouraged Barron to defend the deal and toe the line defending the deal. Dr. Barron wasn’t even at FSU when the deal was done and probably had to hold his nose Tuesday while he was saying the deal was ok.</p>

<p>FSU needs to do the right thing now and just make the FSU/Koch deal disappear.</p>

<p>[Koch</a> Foundation Florida State: University shouldn’t compromise its academic independence in return for private donation - OrlandoSentinel.com](<a href=“http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-fsu-koch-brothers-051311-20110512,0,6423521.story]Koch”>http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-fsu-koch-brothers-051311-20110512,0,6423521.story)</p>

30

<p>Front page of NPR.com and what I just heard on the radio today: [Colleges</a> Receive Gifts, But Are Strings Attached? : NPR](<a href=“Colleges Receive Gifts, But Are Strings Attached? : NPR”>Colleges Receive Gifts, But Are Strings Attached? : NPR)</p>

31

<p>Some of FSU’s academic officers were not entirely keen on the FSU/Koch deal as it was first proposed a few years ago:</p>

<p>[Internal</a> FSU e-mails show academic officers were concerned with Koch’s control over financial gift - St. Petersburg Times](<a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/internal-fsu-e-mails-show-academic-officers-were-concerned-with-kochs/1169493]Internal”>http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/internal-fsu-e-mails-show-academic-officers-were-concerned-with-kochs/1169493)</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2011/PDFs/fsuemails2.pdf[/url]”>http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2011/PDFs/fsuemails2.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

32

<p>I think this resolves the question:

</p>

33

<p>The big thing here is that this is all in retrospect. The St. Pete Times is reporting on this as if it just happened, and is using emails from three years ago to try to speculate on the potential impact of the deal. We already KNOW the impact of the deal, and the worst case scenario predictions if the Times didn’t even come close to coming true (just read any of Barron’s explanations).</p>

<p>The St. Pete Times has completely crossed the line by misconstruing the facts and furthermore, disparaging the reputation of FSU by publishing articles such as “The new and improved FSU course catalog” which is nothing more than manipulative propaganda. I have lost all faith in the Times as a reputable news source, and hope FSU can somehow sue this rag for defamation.</p>

34

<p>It’s tough fighting a newspaper unless you own your own newspaper to go back at them. The damage has already been done to FSU; if any changes in policy and/or practices need to be done at FSU, make the changes and move on.</p>

35

<p>Maybe this was addressed (I just skimmed after the first few posts), and I’m no Tax Accountant - but doesn’t this mean that he cannot consider this a charitable donation and therefore not really a “benefit” to him?</p>

<p>I thought that if you gave AND it was attached to specifics (ie - gives donor some type of “power”, or is earmarked for something specific that the recipient did not already have a fund set-up for) it made it non-tax deductible.</p>

<p>Maybe not the point of the post…sorry - just wondering.</p>

36

<p>Maybe FSU does have a newspaper to back them up. Just noticed the Tallahassee Democrat has an editorial today backing up Barron and FSU. The Gannett chain owns the Democrat newspaper and also the FSView & Florida Flambeau from campus. (might need subscription to read link)</p>

<p>[Our</a> Opinion: Tied up in strings | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat](<a href=“http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20110515/OPINION01/105150306/Our-Opinion-Tied-up-in-strings]Our”>http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20110515/OPINION01/105150306/Our-Opinion-Tied-up-in-strings)</p>

37

<p>What do you think now, Tallalassie? Was FSU “bought”?</p>

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<p>^ Bought, no; compromised, yes.</p>

39

<p>Well, I disagree. While more care could have been taken in the structure of the Memorandum of Understanding, as Dr Barron relates, nothing occurred that even hints at anything improper actually happening.</p>

<p>FSU was not compromised. FSU also always had complete authority to limit the Koch Foundation and the esteemed faculty in the Department of Economics would not allow their individual good names to be besmirched (a career ending move, I’d estimate, in competitive academia) simply to garner a measly $1.5M.</p>

40

<p>What actually happened is FSU officials signed a contract in 2008, which in the words of Dr. Barron (from his letter in post #32 above): “…presents the appearance of outside influence because a KCF appointment on the three-person advisory board has the potential to deny donor funding for a faculty hire that he or she feels is not suitable.” The momentum FSU signed that contract, FSU compromised itself. Whatever happened after the contract was executed is another story and is after the fact of FSU having already compromised its academic integrity. The letter and intent of the contract is one thing, what FSU administrators and folks in the Economics dept did, or didn’t do, or might have done, or what they intended to do is independent of the contract. I’m glad FSU got funding for some grad students and professors (surely they are probably the strongest defenders of whether the FSU/Koch deal is sound); things could have been handled better though at FSU with Koch.</p>

<p>I’m in complete agreement with what Dr. Barron wrote at end of his letter above: “…we should always be careful not to put ourselves in the position where either our motives or our integrity can be questioned. I promise that we will be diligent in working to prevent outcomes like this in the future.”</p>