All the university right wing money can buy

by David Safier

The Weekly had one of those articles last week that make the paper mandatory reading. It's about the new "Freedom Center" at UA, funded by conservative dollars and headed by David Schmidtz, "a star among libertarian intellectuals." Ken Kendrick, who is "co-founder of the software company Datatel, and is currently managing general partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks," kicked in $2.5 million. A lesser donor, but a more important name, is Charles Koch, one of the Koch brothers, who kicked in $1 million — so far as we know. There are some anonymous donations which could possibly come from him as well.

[Side note: Because the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation gave only $1 million, Schmidtz characterizes Koch as a minor patron. That gives you some idea of how different is the depth of pocket of Republican and Democratic donors.]

Koch's tendrils run wide and deep in our universities, with tens of millions, maybe more, spread across the country.

Brad Friedman runs the website Kochwatch.org. He takes a darker view of the Koch brothers' campus philanthropy. The Kochs "fund these various libertarian-leaning organizations under names like 'Freedom Center' in order to create more phony studies, and more dubious research," he writes in an e-mail to the Weekly.

Since the Weekly article came out, another branch of Koch Brothers University  at Florida State University made the news. And this time, there is not even a hint of academic independence, unlike UA's Freedom Center which claims to run indepently of the donors. At FSU, the Koch bothers actually get to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to the hires.

A foundation bankrolled by Libertarian businessman Charles G. Koch has pledged $1.5 million for positions in Florida State University's economics department. In return, his representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting "political economy and free enterprise."

According to the article, the faculty suggested new hires, and Koch rejected 60% of them. However, David W. Rasmussen, dean of the College of Social Sciences, is OK with the interference because it means more profs to teach more courses, and how could he turn that down?

"I'm sure some faculty will say this is not exactly consistent with their view of academic freedom,'' he said. "But it seems to me it would have been irresponsible not to do it."

Perfect. Conservatives cut funds to universities across the country, then throw a few million at the starved campuses to buy more faculty, who need to earn their seal of approval. And a college administrator says it would have been irresponsible not to accept the money, strings and all. I assume all lectures will have Koch Bros. product placement in them. It only seems right. The Brothers deserve some return for their money.