Gary Rhoades, director of the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Arizona, challenged attendees at the AFT Higher Education Issues Conference to take the lead in responding to the market-driven decisions that are rapidly changing the context of higher education.  In the 7th annual Irwin Polishook lecture, Rhoades addressed the rise of the market model in higher education and offered responses to halt the drive toward what he termed "academic capitalism."

"The corporate model and its market-oriented calculus are shaping academic decision making throughout the institution," Rhoades explained.  "We are in a time period when market criteria are increasingly important relative to merit criteria in the most basic academic decisions."

Rhoade's lecture, entitled "Asserting Professional Control Amidst Academic Capitalism," outlined the challenges posed to the academy and to the union when higher education is corporatized. 

The move toward the market model in higher education has led to the reorganization of the faculty structure as seen in the increased use of part-time/adjunct and contingent faculty, the standardization of curriculum, the shift to technology-based classrooms driven by profits rather than pedagogy and, in general, the de-emphasis on delivering quality in higher education, said Rhoades. 

"It’s not just the big, framing decisions that are driven by managers," Rhoades said.  "Our daily professional decisions and the services we provide are being directly impacted by corporate-style management."    

Rhoades underlined the importance of the union taking a proactive approach to confront this disturbing trend and commended AFT Higher Education for its strategic planning initiative.  Building on the remarks of AFT executive vice president Nat LaCour the night before, Rhoades stressed the need to organize every aspect of higher education to challenge academic capitalism. 

Rhoades urged the union to continue to resist threats to the model of higher education that emphasizes process over outcome and quality over profit--threats such as the unbundling of the faculty role and the conception of education as a service to be "delivered."  He also criticized the increasingly prevalent belief that within the current economic context, institutions should reduce "reliance on public monies and generate revenues by serving private corporate markets."  Such a belief, Rhoades asserted, is counter to the foundations of equality and access, two essential components of the American dream.

"I say, invest in the dream and be part of a national and international labor movement that is part of making that dream a reality."  [Brooke Boeglin]

[April 29, 2003]

For a copy of Gary Rhoades lecture, please contact AFT Higher Education.