President Michael D. Higgins also remarked that in the name of market forces there is an “inexorable drive towards a utilitarian reductionism that is now so pervasive.”
Higgins made his comments at an international conference organized by Scholars at Risk. Watch his speech here.
Established in 2015, this website was conceived by current and former Michigan State University faculty members. The purpose is to be declarative about the pernicious impacts of neoliberalism on higher education and society at large. With new articles posted daily, there is a rotating set of features, perspectives, news stories, and other materials of interest. (NOTE: This site is not affiliated with Michigan State University or any other institution, higher education or otherwise.)
This is a very good presentation by Michael Higgins on the corporate takeover of higher education and its impact on the culture of academe and the demise of critical thinking both inside and outside of the classroom. What strikes me most is the consistency of the message from multiple sources from across the globe. Rationalization is a leading cause of the disconnect between progress and human wellbeing. And as the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association have wittingly or not contributed to this process, the American Sociological Association has become a contributor in order to be “relevant.” What are the responses of these and other professional organizations to the homogenization of education produced by online learning? What are the responses of these and other professional organizations to the movement in politics to censor the teaching of critical race theory? Unless educators find a political and economic alternative to the current model in education, their role in having the liberty to speak truth to power will become another platitude.