If universities are businesses:
– education and research are not public goods but a private business opportunity
– education and research are not investments in the society’s future but in the future of companies to which services may be outsourced
– their objective is to make a profit for stockholders
– they should not have tax-exempt status
– they should not seek donations from alumni
– they cannot expect loyalty from alumni (although: professional football teams, which are businesses, do command loyalty, so perhaps we could have that kind of loyalty … but only if we are not an institution of learning)
– they should not cut humanities, which more than pay for themselves
– they should cut financial drains like football (which at many schools is not a money maker), medical school, hospital, psychological services … is this a good idea?
But universities provide other goods than profits, and it is interesting that that is the defense made of football teams when these are costing much more than they bring in).
See Davidson, Why college is not a business.
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 