ugly corporate interference at Univ. of Missouri, Kanasa City

[michael perelman <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Business forms a blue ribbon committee to decide how a college should be run --

The AAUP chapter at UMKC is appealing for your help (if you are on several
lists, apologies for multiple mailings).

Since April a so-called "Blue Ribbon Task Force" has been at work
"evaluating" the University of Missouri at Kansas City, a public institution
belonging to the four-campus University of Missouri system.  Commissioned by
business interests outside the university, the Task Force is chaired by
Benno Schmidt, who has made a career and a personal fortune privatizing
public education.  The Task Force has strongly suggested in public
statements its intention to recommend removing UMKC from the University of
Missouri system.  Given Schmidt's track record, there is a high likelihood
that the Task Force will also recommend partial or full privatization.
Other Task Force members are on record in support of an autocratic model of
university governance.  The Task Force is an instrument of certain local
businesses hoping to take control of UMKC and profit by reorganization of
the university.

Faculty and student organizations as well as administrators have already
expressed public opposition to the possibility of a corporate takeover.
Please join them by raising your voice against the dismemberment of the
University of Missouri System, the isolation of UMKC, its downgrading to an
underfunded, third rank institution, and the erection of financial barriers
shutting out low income people and communities of color from higher
education.

The future of UMKC and of public higher education in Missouri is squarely on
the line, and the direction it takes will impact everyone: faculty,
students, staff, administrators, alumni, retirees, and the public at large.

We need as many voices as possible to counteract the powerful backers of the
Task Force and the extensive public relations apparatus it has mobilized to
sell its agenda to the public.  The plans for a corporate takeover of UMKC
are on fast track, and we must start to build a large response now.  The
first wave of letters must be sent before the Task Force delivers its
"preliminary report" on June 24.

Please do the following:

1) contact officials (see list below)
2) if you live in the KC region, attend the Friday June 24 hearing in
Kansas City of the Missouri State Government Review Commission.  Be there to
support testimony against the Blue Ribbon Task Force by UMKC administration,
faculty, staff, students, and alumni.  Time: 2PM.  Place: Auditorium of
Missouri Department of Conservation, Discovery Center, 4750 Troost (west
side of Troost, driveway just south of fast food restaurant on corner).

Below you will find a sample letter and a list of people to write to.  If
you can, send an e-mail message to everyone on the list, but even one
message to a single person is a valuable contribution.  The voice of the
public defending public higher education needs to be be heard.

Please forward this appeal to everyone you know who supports public higher
education.  If you are on the faculty of UMKC or of other institutions,
please contact your colleagues, professional organizations, students and
former students, administrators, staff, and individuals and organizations in
the community you work with.  If you are in the community, please contact
individuals and organizations in your networks.

So that the AAUP chapter can tabulate public responses to this appeal,
please send a message to the web manager of the AAUP site
(brodskyd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) stating the number of people you have contacted.
If it is everyone on the list, just write "ALL."

For more information please see the BACKGROUND STATEMENT below, which
includes links to more extensive sources with documentation.

Thank you very much for your support.

Sincerely,

Patricia Brodsky
Professor of Foreign Languages
President, AAUP chapter at UMKC

--

Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Chico, CA 95929
530-898-5321
fax 530-898-5901