American oligarch buys the right to hire professors at Florida State U

Cory Doctorow 4:55 am Wed May 11, 2011

Florida State University has sold Charles G. Koch the right to decide who they can hire to fill two economics slots at the public university, for the low sum of $1.5 million. Koch (one of the Koch brothers, the billionaires who funded the Tea Party and the campaigns of anti-union governors in the midwest) "donated" the amount through his Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, with strings attached: he got to appoint an advisory committee that would be in charge of choosing the professors who would be funded through his grant. He also gets to set "targets" for these professors, and can withdraw his money if they're not met.

David W. Rasmussen, dean of the College of Social Sciences, defended the deal, initiated by an FSU graduate working for Koch. During the first round of hiring in 2009, Koch rejected nearly 60 percent of the faculty's suggestions but ultimately agreed on two candidates. Although the deal was signed in 2008 with little public controversy, the issue revived last week when two FSU professors — one retired, one active — criticized the contract in the Tallahassee Democrat as an affront to academic freedom.

Billionaire's role in hiring decisions at Florida State University raises questions

(via MeFi)

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