When James Duderstadt publicly called the University of Michigan a "Corporation serving the Nation," he probably meant to emphasize the latter part of the phrase, suggesting that the work of the University ultimately benefits even those people who do not directly participate in its activities. Yet to anyone who still naively believes that the University is primarily a place of learning, the use of the word "corporation" may be rather unneverving. After all, a corporation has only one objective, namely to make a profit.
A mere cursory knowledge of our University should reveal to even the least perceptive among us that green is the primary color in this institution's rainbow. All that childish blather about "higher education" is, of course, noble, but altogether beside the point. All accountability is upwards, with high-powered administrators such as Maureen Hartford candidly admitting that it is her superiors with whom she congers to monitor the pulse of the students. Indeed, what Provost has ever asked for student input? (Incidentally, what exactly does a Provost do for "higher education"?) And CEO Duderstadt himself claims that "shareholders" and the regents are the ultimate masters of his reins.
As befits any self-respecting corporation, the U-M pays its administrators up to four times what it pays its mere technicians (i.e. professors). After all, what better way to attract "talented" elites from the business world? (And we all know how talented Provosts need to be ....) The University's priorities are clearly displayed in the rapid acquisition of such administrative types, whereas teaching staff members are declining proportionately. Following good business sense, these corporate minions invest millions in buildings and "projects" aimed at yielding juicy R&D grants. Students may feel proud of the new physics building, but how many of them will actually use its state of the art particle accelerators?
In light of these facts, it is strange that some feel the University is becoming too much like a corporation; indeed our U-M achieved that loft status long ago. We are, in fact, hurtling toward a more ambitious step on the evolutionary ladder than many could have possibly imagined. Soon will come the glorious day when the U- M Corporation will ascend to the U-M Sovereign State. If this sounds far-fetched, consider that the University alkready possesses the following organs of government: a chief executive, a police force, a judiciary which enforces an independant, non-academic penal code, a buracreacy which grows enexorably, and a health-care system. And some still suggest that education is of primary importance! Are they aware that student tuition in fact amounts to only 15% of this fledgling state's income? As even a professor has noted, the leadership should dismiss the students, fire the faculty, and get about its business!