University Inc.—The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education

OSI hosted a forum to mark the publication of University Inc.: The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education (Basic Books), by journalist and former OSI Individual Project fellow Jennifer Washburn.

During the past two decades, commercial forces have transformed virtually every aspect of academic life. Corporate funding of universities is growing and the money comes with strings attached. In return for corporate largesse, universities are acting more and more like for-profit patent factories, while professors are behaving more like businessmen. Secrecy is replacing the free flow of basic knowledge, university funds are shifting from the humanities to more commercially lucrative science labs, and the skill of teaching is valued less and less. The consequences of the new “academic-industrial complex” are wide-ranging—and disturbing.

In University Inc., Washburn reveals how conflicts of interest, involving individual scientists and often entire universities, have led to compromised research and a loss of scholarly independence. This toxic mix of science and profit—in areas ranging from medicine to the environment—jeopardizes the well-being of millions who rely on the historic impartiality of academic research. It is eroding academic freedom and weakening the university’s capacity to perform pathbreaking research and innovation.

In addition to Jennifer Washburn, the panel featured:

• Arjun Appadurai, provost of the New School University;
• Leon Botstein, president of Bard College;
• Gara LaMarche, vice president and director of U.S. Programs at OSI (moderator).

Read a summary of this event.

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This was the third and final event in a series of breakfast forums to mark the publication of books that were supported by OSI fellowships.