Tyler Powell
America runs on capitalism; that's why America is such a strong leader in innovation, design, and production. People need incentive to work and think beyond self-satisfaction, so money is used as a universal motivator. Excluding non-profit organizations, the main goal of most American institutions is to make money, and it takes money to make money. In other words, America is powered by a capitalist engine fueled by money. Where that engine take us depends on popular ideals.
Institutes of higher education are not unlike any other company in that they seek to make as much profit as possible, whether its from students, alumni, or corporate business. Colleges must compete with each other for fame and renown so that they can attract more students that bring in money. In "College for sale: a critique of the commodification of higher education," Wesley Shumar points out," [Colleges] have experienced the elements of this [capitalist] model: The increased use of part-time labor, the tendency for administrations to act like corporate management, [and the tendency] to call our students consumers."
Some worry that this capitalistic overtake of higher education is counter productive for the learning process, but this is not true. Corporate businesses may be selective in what departments they make donations to, but this is a good thing. Corporations that are more popular with the American consumers tend to have more money and tend to spend that money on ways to make them more popular. For example, a company might donate most of its money to Computer Science departments because it recognizes that mp3-players are becoming extremely popular. Since these items are so popular, students are more likely to take up a field of learning where they can study them. Basically, the process is this: money goes into what is popular, students come out, they build more popular products, the products are sold for profit, and then process repeats.
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