Tapsearch Com EditorTom Palaima UT Professor challenges education roles
May 14th 2011 17:49
Palaima:
Palaima about Regents in Texas USA push ideas that do lasting damage to higher education
Tom Palaima, Regular Contributor
A Tapsearch Com Top Pick Article
Higher Education under command of external forces
Unless you have been living on another planet, you know that the
University of Texas and Texas A&M University have been targets of
criticism. The criticism ramped up in 2008 when Gov. Rick Perry
orchestrated a closed-door "educational summit" involving the UT
Board of Regents. There, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a
conservative think tank, and retired U.S. House Majority Leader Dick
Armey aired their views on our state's two flagship research-oriented
universities.
At A&M, according to Armey, "only 49 out of 3,000 faculty members
brought in enough money to pay for their salaries and overhead over
the past five years." Departments should tell students what their
starting salaries will be if they major in their fields. Perry wants
bachelor's degrees to cost $10,000 or less.
No matter what motives or animus inspire such borderline crackpot
ideas, they have to be taken seriously, because the governor is
behind them and he appoints the regents. The regents, in turn,
appoint university presidents. The presidents serve without fixed
terms at the pleasure of the regents. They can, that is, be fired at
any time.
Faculty senates at A&M and UT Austin are virtually powerless.
According to regents' rules, faculty serve purely advisory roles.
That explains why regents in Texas have done such harm to higher
education. We do not have trustees who are entrusted to safeguard
what professional scholars, teachers, researchers and educational
administrators create. We have political appointees who act like
kings.
Between 1919 and 1943, Regent Luther Stark made UT, according to
Ronnie Dugger, his "outstanding hobby." Stark devised in 1923 the
regental rule "that no infidel, atheist, or agnostic be employed in
any capacity in the University of Texas, and no person who does not
believe in God as the Supreme Being and the Ruler of the Universe
shall hereafter be employed."
Stark also opined that "the president of the University of Texas
occupies the position to the board of regents as a general manager of
a corporation does to its board of directors."
On May 9, William Powers Jr., the general manager of UT, said, "I am
a president." He presented "A Report to the Commission of 125 and the
University of Texas Community," available at tinyurl.com/3js34xy.
Read it.
Powers explains the arduous labors of citizens and enlightened
leaders of our state over 128 years to achieve the constitutional
mandate that UT be a university of the first class. He shows that the
faculty, staff, students and administrators of UT have never rested
on their laurels, despite such deep cuts by the Legislature that
state revenues may soon only cover 13 percent of the university's
operating budget.
Powers' message conveys a sense of his commitment to excellence in
undergraduate education, scholarship and research. It has the ring of
Homer Rainey, who was fired by regents for refusing to fire faculty
who had the temerity to teach New Deal economic policies.
Powers is too tactful and lawyerly to say what I will say. Who are
these people who, without a serious understanding of higher
education, would denigrate over 100 years of hard work of so many men
and women devoted to the pursuit of knowledge at the highest level
for the benefit of society? Why in a democracy should members of a
self-created partisan think tank be given exclusive access to present
their views to regents who are themselves political appointees of a
like-minded governor? Who in their right mind would define the worth
of a professor of the history of religion, of Arabic languages, of
African American music, of the art of Latin America, based on the
money they bring in?
The saddest moment of all preceded Powers' speech. In introducing
student government president Natalie Butler, Kenny Jastrow, head of
the Commission of 125 and former chair of Temple-Inland, invited the
audience to applaud her courage for writing a letter to the Board of
Regents about these issues.
What have we come to in our democracy if writing a letter of opinion
to fellow citizens entrusted with a public duty is considered an act
of courage?
Palaima ( tpalaima@sbcglobal.net ) is a UT professor.
OTHER PIECES IN THE SATURDAY MAY14 Statesman
Rick Perry: Learn to Separate Fact from Fiction
Really Long Link
Gail Collins: It's all about reading, 'riting and revenues
Really Long Link
When reading Perry's piece, please keep in mind these salient points:
The graduation rates at UT Austin for incoming freshmen are:
51% in 4 years or less
77% within 5 years
80% within 6 years.
The amount of UT's ca. $2.1 billion dollar operating budget that is
covered by state appropriations is now at just below 15% and with
anticipated cuts will sink as low as 13%.
Under the House version of the budget, state general revenues for UT
Austin will decrease by 20.5%, or $57.1 million per year. The Senate
version would reduce our general revenues by 16.1%, or $44.9 million
per year.
In 1981, state support amounted to 52% of the annual budget. It has
gotten to the point where one wonders on what grounds UT Austin is
any longer called a state-funded institution.
If it cost you $40,000 to attend college for four years and I paid
$5,200 of that amount, could I rightly claim that I paid for your
college education?
Palaima about Regents in Texas USA push ideas that do lasting damage to higher education
Tom Palaima, Regular Contributor
A Tapsearch Com Top Pick Article
Higher Education under command of external forces
Unless you have been living on another planet, you know that the
University of Texas and Texas A&M University have been targets of
criticism. The criticism ramped up in 2008 when Gov. Rick Perry
orchestrated a closed-door "educational summit" involving the UT
Board of Regents. There, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a
conservative think tank, and retired U.S. House Majority Leader Dick
Armey aired their views on our state's two flagship research-oriented
universities.
At A&M, according to Armey, "only 49 out of 3,000 faculty members
brought in enough money to pay for their salaries and overhead over
the past five years." Departments should tell students what their
starting salaries will be if they major in their fields. Perry wants
bachelor's degrees to cost $10,000 or less.
No matter what motives or animus inspire such borderline crackpot
ideas, they have to be taken seriously, because the governor is
behind them and he appoints the regents. The regents, in turn,
appoint university presidents. The presidents serve without fixed
terms at the pleasure of the regents. They can, that is, be fired at
any time.
Faculty senates at A&M and UT Austin are virtually powerless.
According to regents' rules, faculty serve purely advisory roles.
That explains why regents in Texas have done such harm to higher
education. We do not have trustees who are entrusted to safeguard
what professional scholars, teachers, researchers and educational
administrators create. We have political appointees who act like
kings.
Between 1919 and 1943, Regent Luther Stark made UT, according to
Ronnie Dugger, his "outstanding hobby." Stark devised in 1923 the
regental rule "that no infidel, atheist, or agnostic be employed in
any capacity in the University of Texas, and no person who does not
believe in God as the Supreme Being and the Ruler of the Universe
shall hereafter be employed."
Stark also opined that "the president of the University of Texas
occupies the position to the board of regents as a general manager of
a corporation does to its board of directors."
On May 9, William Powers Jr., the general manager of UT, said, "I am
a president." He presented "A Report to the Commission of 125 and the
University of Texas Community," available at tinyurl.com/3js34xy.
Read it.
Powers explains the arduous labors of citizens and enlightened
leaders of our state over 128 years to achieve the constitutional
mandate that UT be a university of the first class. He shows that the
faculty, staff, students and administrators of UT have never rested
on their laurels, despite such deep cuts by the Legislature that
state revenues may soon only cover 13 percent of the university's
operating budget.
Powers' message conveys a sense of his commitment to excellence in
undergraduate education, scholarship and research. It has the ring of
Homer Rainey, who was fired by regents for refusing to fire faculty
who had the temerity to teach New Deal economic policies.
Powers is too tactful and lawyerly to say what I will say. Who are
these people who, without a serious understanding of higher
education, would denigrate over 100 years of hard work of so many men
and women devoted to the pursuit of knowledge at the highest level
for the benefit of society? Why in a democracy should members of a
self-created partisan think tank be given exclusive access to present
their views to regents who are themselves political appointees of a
like-minded governor? Who in their right mind would define the worth
of a professor of the history of religion, of Arabic languages, of
African American music, of the art of Latin America, based on the
money they bring in?
The saddest moment of all preceded Powers' speech. In introducing
student government president Natalie Butler, Kenny Jastrow, head of
the Commission of 125 and former chair of Temple-Inland, invited the
audience to applaud her courage for writing a letter to the Board of
Regents about these issues.
What have we come to in our democracy if writing a letter of opinion
to fellow citizens entrusted with a public duty is considered an act
of courage?
Palaima ( tpalaima@sbcglobal.net ) is a UT professor.
OTHER PIECES IN THE SATURDAY MAY14 Statesman
Rick Perry: Learn to Separate Fact from Fiction
Really Long Link
Gail Collins: It's all about reading, 'riting and revenues
Really Long Link
When reading Perry's piece, please keep in mind these salient points:
The graduation rates at UT Austin for incoming freshmen are:
51% in 4 years or less
77% within 5 years
80% within 6 years.
The amount of UT's ca. $2.1 billion dollar operating budget that is
covered by state appropriations is now at just below 15% and with
anticipated cuts will sink as low as 13%.
Under the House version of the budget, state general revenues for UT
Austin will decrease by 20.5%, or $57.1 million per year. The Senate
version would reduce our general revenues by 16.1%, or $44.9 million
per year.
In 1981, state support amounted to 52% of the annual budget. It has
gotten to the point where one wonders on what grounds UT Austin is
any longer called a state-funded institution.
If it cost you $40,000 to attend college for four years and I paid
$5,200 of that amount, could I rightly claim that I paid for your
college education?
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