USF football coach Jim Leavitt's accused errors with his football players and supposedly poor judgment in covering up the story pales in light of the serious ethical and moral problems confronting the university over the last 8 years (The Tampa Tribune, Jan. 11,12 and 13).One cannot blame Coach Leavitt for wanting to fight back.
The exorbitant privileges annually given to the university president, Judy Genshaft, by the school's board of directors as well as their shameless embrace of corporate and economic interests have caused a serious deterioration of the university's integrity and independence, both academically and intellectually.
Furthermore, student tuitions have increased annually over the past several years, burdening their pursuit of degrees while USF's graduation rates have fallen as well. Dollars are driving the direction USF's research takes, academic freedom is being compromised and professors and scientists have been forced to undermine the free exchange of ideas.
The growing privatization of the University of South Florida is creating an academic-industrial complex, which services pharmaceutical and military interests more than the humanities and undergraduate interests.
Ms. Genshaft is undermining the university's unique role of serving the public while not remaining free of vested interests.
The Tampa Bay university scandal is not about Coach Leavitt and player Josh Miller, but about the growing commercialism of USF by President Genshaft, which ultimately damages the "public good," and ironically, also creates a grave risk to the economy and any future economic growth.
Brian P. Moore
Spring Hill
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Results Loading...