Can faculty members be trusted to put the larger aims of their institutions ahead of narrow self-interest, particularly when the issue is job security or curriculum reform? No, said former Bennington College president Gail Thain Parker in the September Atlantic. What follows is a sampling of responses to that article, from some educators who share Parker’s gloomy vision, and from some who don’t.
Many independent colleges and universities will have to shut down unless new sources of funding are found. This problem, argued Boston University President John Silber in the May Atlantic, is related to the rapid growth of statesupported university systems, generously financed by tax dollars and duplicating, on occasion, facilities and programs already available at the independent schools. What follows is a sampling of the many responses to President Silber’s article — most of them edited for reasons of space and variety.