Speeches by Dr. Ralph Spitzer and Dr. L.R. La Vallee

New York University recently acquired two companies showing annual profits of between 200,000 and 900,000. Two of them among these recent acquisitions was a well-known New List spaghetti company. Columbia University, the biggest real estate owner in New York City, it owns Rockefeller Center in which it has invested 23 and a quarter million dollars. The University of Michigan also will run airport. The University of Pennsylvania owns Slipp Brothers, department store, building which rents for $275,000 annually. The list could be appended with a multitude of such examples such as some of West Coast University of Washington which owns large section of downtown Seattle and sold in the Olympia Hotel. Another example to show the connection, education and big business. In the pertinent study by a foretaste agent called Denture Dangerous Trends. According to

sergeants, there were ten universities in 1947 and that were seeking ten million dollars, many other less than amount. In some cases full-time staff had been hired to seek out funds from wealthy individuals and military men who can influence the awarding of military contracts. Princeton Harvard, recited by him, has each having specialized presidents whose sole job is raising funds. They are trying to raise $20 million in five years, 50 million in the next ten. The University of Pennsylvania headed by Harold Stassen, six twenty million. Eisenhower's main job at Columbia was to raise one hundred million. Steven's college under the ambulance home of Rainey, seeking eighteen million. According to sergeants, I principally bring you here, the military aspect here. Honorary degrees have been a means of lowering, flattering and promoting publicity. In 1947, both one could

pick up a newspaper during this commencement season and without opening it recite most of the high degrees awarded by Harvard or Yale or Princeton and many other institutions. Nimmies, King, Eisenhower, MacArthur and Accenture, Clark, Hallsley, Forestall, Patterson, Stimpton, Bradley, Vanderbilt, Wainwright, Hodges, Spats, over and over again. Some universities held special convocations at which the whole bunch was anointed and disposed of and fearful. So far, I have pointed out three general ways that tend to tie up the interests of education administrators with those of business. First, there is a great concentration of business interests on the boards of trustees and education in South. Second, although colleges and universities have always had some business interests, they are now going into business ventures on an unprecedented scale. Three, colleges and universities face a problem of raising

currently about five billion dollars and are thus forced to make concessions to business interests and wealthy individuals, both of which groups are usually very conservative. To these, let me add a forward and perhaps the most important. Now, this big business itself has a vested interest in education. Education is one of the largest industries in our nation. It is recognized that the students today are the leaders of tomorrow. It's important that these students have proper ideas. Also, there is scarcely a new product or a new invention that comes to the market or becomes aware of. It does not have its source, private investigation in the research laboratories of the colleges and universities. To show some examples of this directly, and I have not sought for these particularly, Federal Communication Commission in its

report 1 November, 1935, stated that men connected with the bell telephone system in the capacity of executive offices or directors have responsible and controlling positions in the counts of the 69 universities and colleges in the United States, including the most well-known major institutions, and 14 of these 69 institutions, there were at least two bell representatives. So, another example, Jerome Davis in his book Capitalism in the Sculpture 1935, quotes letters regarding the attempt of the public utilities to influence college curriculum. This was taken from the Federal Reports. In 1925, S. Bellden, director of the United Power and Light Company, received a typical letter from Major Richardson, director of the Pennsylvania Public Service Information Committee, who declared, quote, I am enclosing outlines of the public utility course recently run in the

University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. The plan was put across in the usual way. We had laid the groundwork circumspectly and with care, so that the actual suggestion that such a course we started came from the faculties of the institutions themselves, the rest of the team. More recent example, the keeping link, kick-linger, business man's letter, keeping a warning letter of the title of the 14th May 1939, at an article in title of the caption, to teach teaches how business really runs, quote, continue quote, 20 corporations are inviting 30 college professors to spend six weeks with their works, within their works, thus add practical knowledge to theory, go home and teach it to others, effort to sell free enterprise. Results of these titles, education, business, leaders I have said before to

concessions. How are some of these made? First, we are a good example. Fire on the professors, also the suspension of students, calling you down to be a Udigard, former president of Reed College, quote, For the most part, these boards are made up of businessmen, lawyers and ministers, who lay great store by the existing order and conformity to current opinion. There are many instances of teachers fired not because of incompetence, but because they taught doctrines and ideas unpleasant to those in control. But the boards are now less keen to check radical and unusual opinions among the student body. The record is filled with cases of students suspended and college publications suppressed because they circulated ideas which were thought to be in inocates immoral and subversive. Another aspect is the denial of merit increases of promotion. In 1946, when I was in Colorado, four professors at the

University of Colorado were denied promotions that would do them. Board of Regents who refused to give it to them. At that time, President Sterns went to the Regents who told them that if these men did not receive their merit increases that would do them, he would resign from the University. He let's just say the men received their increases. Now, there is a curving of campus activities of students. Dr. Spitzer is mentioned in the case of John Brown, the students committee on civil rights, etc. Another factor and a general regression of full and free inquiry in discussion. I mentioned in the one case of a professor who was returning a book man against Smith made the comment that this book should not be read. Finally, screening of textbooks. Book salesman came in last year for Chicago. He told me about a city in Illinois

which he refused to mention to me. He said in this city, every single textbook and he used elementary and secondary schools with screen by the American lesion. You all know when we read in the papers about small Sanctus, where they set up a textbook committee to do such screening. In particular, Building America series by Rogue and other authors was banned following the campaign by the Tenney committee. It was not used any longer in the high schools. Many examples you can cite for yourselves, but enough has been said to present the general picture. In closing, I would like to quote a section of the report of the present committee on higher education, 1947. Education is the making of the future. Its role in the Democratic society is that of critic and leader, as well as servant. Its task is not merely to meet the demand of the present, but to alter these demands, if necessary, so as to keep them always

suited to democratic ideals. Perhaps this most significant role is to serve as an instrument of social transition and its responsibilities are defined in terms of the kind of civilization society hopes to build. How can such a goal be achieved in view of the domination of our education institutions by business interests while determined to maintain the status quo? Situation is serious, it's even alarming. The national and international problems we face must be solved by us. Remember that one of the first attacks of fashion was against education. Let us beware of the path of fashionism. Let us fight to get education back to our democratic ideals of full and free inquiry and discussion so that education can serve as the instrument of social transition for the advancement of its all.

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