"Privatisation" Catching On As Socialism Fails

[Martin Eisenstadt]

Couldn't help but notice the irony of these two stories.  In Venezuela the communist dimwit Hugo Shave Ass is nationalizing a private university.  Seems that someone was "offering degrees illegally" and "not meeting legal and ethical requirements."  

Sounds a lot like your basic cartel shill arguing against educational freedom.  Now we know where they got their playbook.

But in Europe (of all places) they are calling for "commercialisation" of higher education and "privatisation" of universities "in a similar way to their North American competitors."  Now that the socialists have run out of other people's money to waste, it suddenly dawns on them that only the free market system can solve their problems.  

If even the Euros can figure it out, is there a chance this "partnerships with the world of enterprise" thing might catch on among the statist dopes who dominate US higher education?

Hugo Chavez to nationalize Venezuelan private university
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
By Javier Mines

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (BNO NEWS) -- Leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on Tuesday night on his Twitter account his plans to nationalize a private university.

"I inform, attention Barinas, students of the Univ. Santa Inés, I have just approved the nationalization plan, for the good of all. Now: FOR FREE," said the Twitter message.

The government had banned the operation of the Santa Ines University because it "did not meet the legal and ethical requirements to establish and sustain a private university," according to the Venezuelan government.

"It offered degree programs illegally," said Education Minister, Edgardo Ramirez, according to the El Universal newspaper.

Since 2007, President Chavez is conducting an intensive campaign of nationalizations of strategic sectors as electricity, cement, steel, food, oil and banking.

EUROPE: Neo-liberals push university privatisation
Joe Walters
16 May 2010
Issue: 124

The third European University Business Forum took place in Brussels earlier this month with the aim of furthering transnational discussion on the commercialisation of higher education.

A neo-liberal movement has advocated privatisation of European universities, in a similar way to their North American competitors, since the World Trade Organization included education in its General Agreement on Trade in Services in 1995.

Their calls gained traction following the global economic crisis. National governments are forced to deal with increased demand for higher education. With less money available to them, many have sought diversification of university funding.

Moreover, high levels of unemployment have provided governments with further impetus to encourage more commercially orientated degree programmes and academic research.

Higher education in Europe is linked politically and economically through the Bologna process and the euro, and links between business and universities have increased rapidly across the continent.

The University Business Forum took place against this background. The forum, previously held in February 2008 and 2009, is organised by the European Commission. It believes that "universities should develop structured partnerships with the world of enterprise" so they are able to respond better and faster to market demands.

By inviting representatives of higher education, business and public authorities from throughout Europe to converge in Brussels, they are able to foster these partnerships and promote and improve the process of privatising higher education.

Participants had a number of developments to reflect on this year. Powerful advocates of neo-liberal higher education policy, such as the former UK Business Secretary, Peter (Lord) Mandelson, have become increasingly prominent and privatisation within the sector has stretched as far as the traditionally socially inclusive Scandinavia.

Furthermore, major problems in Southern and Eastern Europe - such as university funding cuts of 48% in Latvia, a 53% rise in graduate unemployment in Hungary and total financial meltdown in Greece - mean many countries are becoming susceptible to radical higher education reform.

Reforms to 'university governance', 'putting knowledge to work', and increasing 'mobility between business and academia' were among the subjects addressed at this year's forum.

Around 400 representatives of higher education and business shared their 'ideas for concrete action...on European, national, regional and local level', through speeches, workshops and roundtable discussions. Proposals for 'new curricula for employability', with more internships and entrepreneurial opportunities, focused on students.

Meanwhile, the case for commercialising academic research was put forward by keynote speaker Jose Sierra, Director General at the Spanish Ministry of Education. Sierra claimed that "research by itself does not create, it is innovation that creates money and development".

...Nevertheless, the overriding and powerful majority at the forum continue to regard higher education commercialisation as paramount.

[ham]

NEOLIBERALISM:
criticizing State intervention as 'socialist' and replacing it with 'entrepreneurial organizations' so that my brother and your third cousin can still roll high while taxes are used to fund more agencies and organizations in order to show us how great unimpeded private enterprises are...what a joke.

[RespectableGent]

I've never seen a private for-profit university which hasn't been called a degree mill.

Everyone knows that offering "easy degrees" is the key to a for-profit university's success. Drop outs aren't good for business after all.

If Europe wants to turn its publicly-supported colleges into degree mills, so be it. Maybe Europe can fight for the title of "degree mill capital of the world".

[Dennis Ruhl]

I've never seen a private for-profit university which hasn't been called a degree mill.

Everyone knows that offering "easy degrees" is the key to a for-profit university's success. Drop outs aren't good for business after all.

Profit or non-profit - all the same.

Instead of shareholders getting rich. faculty that does little work for lots of money is the goal in non-profits.

[RespectableGent]

Profit or non-profit - all the same.

If I'm running a for-profit university my goal is to keep all of my students sending in the tuition checks. I'm in it to make a profit. Education and quality comes second.

Anything which threatens the profitability of my college gets axed. I'm a businessman. Dropouts are the last thing I want. Challenging curriculum? Highly paid faculty? No way. I'll just buy some lecture videos and have my students watch those.

It's natural for any for-profit university to turn into a place where one can attend for one day a week for six months and write a few papers.

UoP, Strayer, and Walden University are all guilty of running watered-down classes and operating on short-paper curriculums, paying any faculty they have minimum wage.

George Gollin and Co. are right to fear the for-profits, calling anything they don't like "degree mills". As the states tighten their budget, they will take Europe's lead and begin privatizing its colleges and relying on for-profits for postsecondary education. In truth, the government loves "degree mills" (low-quality schools and for-profits). It takes the burden of education off their shoulders.

Why pour billions into education when there's a large for-profit sector willing to take up the slack?

The state of California is already axing Calworks, its welfare division. After welfare, education will be the next to go.

One day, years from now, public education will be the way of the dodo, professors being sacked and for-profit education being king. Higher education will be automated. Watch these videos, write these papers, and get out.

This is the real reason why the CHEA is trying to raise a fuss with the government about "degree mills". They can already see the writing on the wall.