academic economics

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Doug Henwood" <dhenwood at panix.com>
>
>>The trustees, and apparently ultimately the legislature, has decided
>>it wants to put UIC on the academic map. Can anyone explain the logic
>>of this? Does it make economic sense, or is it mainly vanity?
>
>Since the money for these hires are no doubt being made with funds from rich
>donors - who are no doubt putting their names on buildings and endowed
>fellowships- how can you separate "economic sense" from vanity in such a
>situation.  Intellectual prestige is all about vanity.
>
>-- Nathan Newman

It might be better if the money were coming from rich donors.  The 
situation at OSU is most distressing: it's "'taxing' all of its 
colleges and giving the money back to a select few [departments] 
through a high-profile competition" to hire stars (Robin Wilson, 
"Ohio State 'Taxes' Departments to Make a Select Few Top-Notch," 
_Chronicle of Higher Education_, 6/1/2001 at 
<http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i38/38a00801.htm>).  Believe it or not!

Yoshie