Sale of Universities

Book Review # 100412

Business > Management
Education > Higher
Political Science

This paper provides a summary of the book 'Universities for Sale' by N.Tudiver.

750 words () | 1 source | APA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that the thesis of the book 'Universities for Sale' is that universities will be destroyed if business takes them over. The writer notes Tudiver's view that, with higher education becoming increasingly concerned with the interests of corporations, professors are being transformed into entrepreneurs who are focused on revenue and profit. The writer maintains that to a large extent, universities have become business enterprises, even though this outcome was realized much later in Canada than in the United States. The writer notes that the value of the book is that it makes the reader aware of how business interests historically became part of the university and changed that institution. The writer points out that the book also demonstrates what is at stake in commercialization and that we are currently at a decisive point in deciding the future.

From the Paper:

"Several factors delayed Canadian universities in the trend to commercialization. In contrast to the United States, there were not many opportunities for association with corporations. Canadian universities had support from the state which reduced market pressures. Universities were able to preserve their independence because of state funding. Another important factor was that decentralized unionization was operating in Canadian universities. The impact of restraint, however, was the most powerful factor in the move towards commercialization. During the mid-1970s, a general economic slowdown caused universities to undergo a prolonged period of restraint. Governments removed funding from social spending, and universities suffered from unequal funding from provincial governments across Canada. The solution by universities was to increase student tuition which resulted in problems with accessibility to higher learning. Along with increased tuition, universities began a campaign of aggressive recruitment."