Are We Academic Capitalists - Assignment Example

The current trend of education is grounded on academic capitalism. Faculty and students are viewed in terms of generating revenue and commercial value. Capitalism includes the reshaping the organizational sites, professional workforce, and terms of academic responsibilities to achieve the goals of the academic capitalists. The United States school program is integrated with the monopolistic capitalism. The line between the public and private institution was unclear. To financially survive, schools trained students to fill the needs of industry.

Faculty members are defined as managed professionals. The following cases show capitalism is permeating the academic institutions. Case1. An increasingly part time profession. In Eastern Oregon State College and other academic institutions, the academic capitalists to hire terminated full time faculty members as part time teachers. Later, the part time faculty was reduced to teach only status. Lastly, the same faculty member was retrenched. Case 2. An increasingly managed profession. In 1982, the President of Sonoma State University insisted he had to revise the current programs.

The school had to resolve the declining enrollment issue. Resolution included retrenchment of 53 full time faculty members. Senior was the basis for terminating faculty members. Case 3. An increasingly Capitalistic Profession, globally. Ronald Collins, New Wave University in Australia, Water Systems Institute head. Collins use direct product revenues, grants, and royalties to financially keep his group surviving. The institute generated more funds compared to the University. The institute hired more employees compared faculty members. Case 4. Increasingly commoditized faculty-graduate student relationships.

At Nouveau University, commercialization of the academic institution widened the gap between faculty members and the students. Part time faculty members have increase by more than 43 percent. Businesses partnered with schools to generate markets for a new product or service. Full time faculty members were replaced by part time faculty members. PART II. The article The Neo-Liberal University (Slaugher &&Rhoades, 2000) emphasized public colleges and universities typify the neoliberalism-based entities.

The academe supports the corporate competitiveness by playing major parts in the knowledge-based global economy. The academe trains students to blend with industry by becoming industry’s future leaders or managers of major corporations. Likewise, schools train students to create products and processes to fill the needs of the business industry players. Basically, the major goal of schools is to fill industry’s need for global competitiveness. Academic capitalism includes the public colleges and universities’ investment in business ventures.

The ventures include startup companies precipitating from the cooperative efforts of the faculty and student s. with the academic setup, the schools’ startup companies do not have to suffer the pains of unprofitable or unsuccessfully business ventures, unlike non-academic business ventures. Public support cushions the ill effects of unsuccessful business ventures. The schools serve the educational needs of students who can afford to pay their school fees. The students use grants, loans and other sources to pay for their educational trainings.

The academic institutions’ implementation of a market model translated to a restructuring that benefits the professional and high technology