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Curriculum stipulations of BB&T grant concerns some MU administration
Morgan Unger
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News
BY MORGAN UNGER
The Parthenon
Some Faculty members have expressed concerns over the BB&T grant that required the teaching of Ayn Rand's text "Atlas Shrugged."
The grant money will be used to create the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism at the Lewis College of Business.
Components of the curriculum are to include a course to focus on Rand's text as well as Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" and a lecture series advocating economic and political freedom, according to a university issued press release.
The University Curriculum Committee is traditionally responsible for approving new course additions, but not for determining the content of the courses, said Calvin Kent, vice president of Business and Economic Research.
This new course is experimental and can exist for two semesters before applying to the curriculum addition process.
"The concern is you have industry proscribing the course. Now if you had industry giving money for a building, if you had industry giving money for a scholarship, that's a little different than for a specific curriculum," said Larry Stickler, Faculty Senate Chairman, at an executive committee meeting Monday.
Kent, who will serve as director of the Center and will most likely be teaching the course in question, said the text is standard and has been taught for years. Kent said the course or textbook is not bypassing the university-established process.
"I certainly don't think there's been any influence on what the course content is supposed to be, and we've discussed it. I'm sure that there's not going to be any other influence, but they did want to make sure the material in 'Atlas Shrugged' was covered," Kent said.
The BB&T charitable arm has donated large sums of money to numerous colleges and universities across the state and nation, including West Virginia University, Duke University and North Carolina University, all of which were required to use Rand's novel, Kent said.
Meredith College in North Carolina rejected $420,000 from BB&T because of concerns that the money would be used to promote economic propaganda, Clark Davis said a National Public Radio news story.
The Parthenon
Some Faculty members have expressed concerns over the BB&T grant that required the teaching of Ayn Rand's text "Atlas Shrugged."
The grant money will be used to create the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism at the Lewis College of Business.
Components of the curriculum are to include a course to focus on Rand's text as well as Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" and a lecture series advocating economic and political freedom, according to a university issued press release.
The University Curriculum Committee is traditionally responsible for approving new course additions, but not for determining the content of the courses, said Calvin Kent, vice president of Business and Economic Research.
This new course is experimental and can exist for two semesters before applying to the curriculum addition process.
"The concern is you have industry proscribing the course. Now if you had industry giving money for a building, if you had industry giving money for a scholarship, that's a little different than for a specific curriculum," said Larry Stickler, Faculty Senate Chairman, at an executive committee meeting Monday.
Kent, who will serve as director of the Center and will most likely be teaching the course in question, said the text is standard and has been taught for years. Kent said the course or textbook is not bypassing the university-established process.
"I certainly don't think there's been any influence on what the course content is supposed to be, and we've discussed it. I'm sure that there's not going to be any other influence, but they did want to make sure the material in 'Atlas Shrugged' was covered," Kent said.
The BB&T charitable arm has donated large sums of money to numerous colleges and universities across the state and nation, including West Virginia University, Duke University and North Carolina University, all of which were required to use Rand's novel, Kent said.
Meredith College in North Carolina rejected $420,000 from BB&T because of concerns that the money would be used to promote economic propaganda, Clark Davis said a National Public Radio news story.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 11
Ralph C. Whaley MD
posted 2/14/08 @ 1:30 PM EST
Atlas Shrugged is an inspirational novel that glorifies the human mind as the source of all productive effort. It will be of great benefit to all who read and study the ideas and consider for themselves whether to accept and implement them in their own lives. (Continued…)
Jack Crawford
posted 2/14/08 @ 4:51 PM EST
Ayn Rand presents a philosophy for living on earth in the novel "Atlas Shrugged." I think the faculty and the students will find her ideas satisfying if they enjoy what life has to offer. (Continued…)
Bill Brown
posted 2/14/08 @ 8:54 PM EST
The course is one on the morality of capitalism and the only requirement is to include Atlas Shrugged among the works assigned? It seems like that book would be included anyways so why not take the money and move on?
Grant Williams
posted 2/15/08 @ 6:26 AM EST
To paraphrase Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged: "So you think that money is the root of all evil? Wrong, it is the believe that money is the root of all evil that is the root of all evil. (Continued…)
nduckworth
Nigel Duckworth
posted 2/15/08 @ 8:41 AM EST
MU should evaluate the offer on the nature of the book, not by the fact that there's a stipulation to cover a certain book. BB&T is not the government and Atlas Shrugged is not the Bible. (Continued…)
Philip Coates
posted 2/15/08 @ 3:11 PM EST
Very seldom are the views of business, capitalism, and economics in "Atlas Shrugged" presented. Or argued for as forcefully as is done in this book.
Isn't it fair to hear both sides? To at least read the book? The professor will certainly invite and discuss opposite viewpoints. (Continued…)
Hal Messer
posted 2/18/08 @ 1:07 AM EST
I think that you people are missing the point of contention here. If we allow every organization/individual who donates to the university to stipulate, dictate, and mandate the curriculum attached to their donation, grant, gift, or whatever, then we are can no longer call the university a public school. (Continued…)
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