Abstract
Our Universities: Collegiate Cronyism
The absence of transparency and forthrightness can destroy organizations built on trust - churches, universities and the like. Lacking these, educational institutions become like Wal-Mart. Now, I am a Wal-Mart fan, but I find myself on guard every time I enter one. I know exactly why Sam Walton invented his machine. He wanted to turn my wishes into his dollars. He was reasonably transparent about it. It was his business. And as Hyman Roth said in Godfather II, “This is the business we’ve chosen.” We don’t like to think of schools, churches, and government this way, but maybe we ought to as nobility of mission is crushed under the weight of human frailty.
"We’re always saying we're a meritocracy, but we operate like an old boys’ network."
Rita Bornstein, President Emerita of Rollins College