How political is academia?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by blahetka, Nov 9, 2005.

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  1. blahetka

    blahetka New Member

    I'm sitting here watching "Commander in Chief." I realize the writers are adding political conflict to keep people watching so we will watch the Nexium commercial, increasing demand, thus justifying the advertisement costs.

    I met a few folks over the years that decided to flee corporate politics and head into the calm waters of academia. Usually they realized they umped from the frying pan into the smelter. When a company I worked for hired a well connected educator to run their education department, it went from a collaborative work group to literal back stabbers.

    So, for those who have walked in both worlds, which is a more political environment- The corporate ladder climbing track -or- tenure seeking track?
     
  2. carlosb

    carlosb New Member

    NAS Cites Politicized Ed School Standards, Requests DOE Inquiry

    http://www.nas.org/

    Looks like you have both kinds of policical problems in the education world.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 9, 2005
  3. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Can't speak to tenure from firsthand experience, but overall -- both are about the same, except as a distance learning professor, I didn't see/hear it all daily.

    Seems like a question of whether one prefers to drop rocks or bricks on one's feet.
     
  4. Anthony Pina

    Anthony Pina Active Member

    Unfortunately, academia is at least as political as the corporate environment. This is especially true at the university level, where professors are often given a great deal of power and little restraints. In California, the level of nasty politics and corruption that I witnessed in the K-12 arena (particularly at the county office of education and the state department of education) was truly disgusting.

    When one deals with human beings, positions of power and authority, upward mobility, etc., it is difficult to escape politics.
     
  5. marilynd

    marilynd New Member

    Very.

    marilynd
     

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