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corporate-sponsored colleges
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| nefardec |
check out this bull:
| quote: | College sees dollar signs on its sign
U of Iowa mulls $15M gift for corporate name
By Lynn Hicks
USA TODAY
DES MOINES — A college diploma could soon come with a corporate name.
The University of Iowa is considering whether to rename its College of Public Health after Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield's foundation in exchange for a $15 million gift from the company's philanthropic arm. Terry Burton, a naming-rights consultant based in Vancouver, British Columbia, says he believes Iowa would be the first public university to name a college after a corporation.
The offer has ignited a debate over where universities should draw the line when accepting corporate gifts.
A corporate name on a school could undermine the independence of researchers and create other conflicts, some educators say. Others see little reason to build a wall around academia.
Burton said there are 40 higher-education institutions running $1 billion fundraising campaigns. "There is only so much private wealth around. Where is it going to come from? It's going to come from corporations," he said.
"We're close to the tip of the sword for an AT&T School of Business or a Kodak School of Digital Communication. I can see that as not so far off," Burton said.
Schools are commonly named for individuals, even those that share the same names as the companies they run. University officials such as Jim Merchant, dean of Iowa's College of Public Heath, fear the outright use of a corporate name crosses the line into commercialization.
It's a delicate partnership, said Randa Safady, a vice chancellor at the University of Texas. "It's important that the public and we all don't equate the generosity of corporations with selling out," she said.
John Finnegan, dean of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, said concerns over credibility are real. "We do a lot of research … and access to health care," he said. "The concern would be that it would compromise that independence — at least it would be the public perception."
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| _Nut_ |
| I see nothing wrong with it. More money for schools means newer facilities, newer technology and the salary draw of the best and brightest faculty. |
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| inconspicuous |
| um...where do you think colleges have gotten the names of buildings since the beginning of time? Nothing new here, except that it's a corporation instead of an individual. They're still private entities. If you think the individuals don't have as much say, look at Oklahoma State. There are much MUCH more serious issues about bias & influence in higher education than this...especially since they're already present at 99.9% of such institutions--not a proposition at one. |
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| Xevious |
| A lot of colleges get funding from companies. My school just built a huge building completely from funding from a company albeit the company's CEO was a former graduate. |
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| nefardec |
obviously colleges get money from corporations and people... i go to one that gets some of the most.
but naming the school after a brand... it's just sad IMO.
people have feelings, legacies, dreams, friendships, passions, memories
corporations are just pieces of paper
i see it as one more step in the conversion of the real world into a virtual shop |
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| inconspicuous |
| if corporations have no feelings, though, and people do, doesn't that make them a more ideal donor? Going by that model, it would mean that the people would be more emotional about what was being done with the money, rather than simply handing it over. |
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| nefardec |
edited above post-
why do you think that makes it ideal?
is a world without emotion ideal to you? |
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| inconspicuous |
| quote: | Originally posted by nefardec
is a world without emotion ideal to you? |
economically, yes. |
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| nefardec |
lol ok then.
different strokes |
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| ASFSE |
| this is such an emotional subject, im about to cry. |
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| nefardec |
| when your child or grandchild is born with a genetic Shell logo on his forehead you will look back at this day with sadness :p |
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| infinity HiGH |
| I'd love to get a Wal-Mart Marketing Degree. |
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