Higher education, Republicans, and Privatization [View all]
Here in Ohio, known as the "wild west of charter schools" under the leadership (?) of John (I wanna be president) Kasich, higher education is also under fire. The test case that I am most familiar with is at The University of Akron, where a new, very Republican president has engaged in a two-year campaign to undermine academic programs, privatize student services, and fill the highest parts of the administration with very expensive cronies.
This past year rumors were flying that Akron was looking at partnering with the notorious for-profit college, ITT Tech. That apparently has fallen through, but not before the student newspaper put in a records request and learned that this planned partnership had connections to the highest levels of state government. Here is a link to the information, provided by a local monthly paper that has done fantastic work on the issues at Akron: http://www.thedevilstrip.com/home/documents-reveal-a-political-whos-who-of-ohio-supported-scarboroughs-itt-tech-plan/
I know that Ohio is not unique. Republican governors and legislatures are attacking public higher education. I just wanted to share our story with you all. We all need to be paying attention to what is happening all across the country. Public higher education is so important to our health as a nation.
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