one year since microsoft

a year ago the whole academic freedom/curriculum changes fiasco erupted at my old uni, waterloo. i got asked by a washington post reporter this morning to comment on whether or not i think the situation has been resolved appropriately. i said the following:

"The Microsoft fiasco at Waterloo revealed the true depth of the problem of under-funding at Canadian universities. It showed the higher-education sector desparate to meet its financial committments in the wake of increased costs and enlarged enrollment, hungry for new sources of revenue and, in many ways, stretched in its capacity for due diligence on corporate collaborations. The university's reaction, while swift and thorough, was only a testament to the enormity of the original error. My worry is not that this situation has been averted (and that academic freedom was able to be salvaged in this case) but that this is an indication of a greater trend. That in the face of budget shortfalls, universities will sacrifice their research autonomy, offering up curriculum and academic integrity to the highest bidder."

interesting to think back a year

. . .