FTLComm - Saskatoon - June 4, 2000

The concept of "university" is one of antiquity where the pure pursuit of knowledge was a prized and honoured quest. The reverence and importance of the university to Europe as it emerged from the Dark Ages into the world of the Renaissance and later the Industrial Revolution, saw man's drive for new science and understanding of reality as the second highest calling to mankind, right up there behind the advancement of man's better understanding and relationship with God. In many universities the two things were mixed and combined. There has however, always been a constant struggle between the academic world and the world of commerce. The difference though' was that the early sponsors of university intellectual work on behalf of commerce' was that the merchant treated the university and its people with respect and honoured science as the research into pure science as an honourable activity. This sort of sponsorship during the Renaissance by the Medici would lead to remarkable technological and scientific development benefiting both the academic world and the commercial world. During this past two centuries of truly remarkable technological and scientific development there has been an ongoing relationship between university research and commercial enterprise. Popular American culture has demonised this process in a number of movies but much of this social commentary has revolved around the threat to society by the relentless militarisation of technology. However, beginning in the early 80s with the waning of the cold war global business giants began turning their attention from developing their own labs and research facilities to utilising the public universities and began channeling money into these institutions to develop their own projects. This process had been marching along quite nicely in other parts of North America but the first appearance of blatant corporate imperialisation of the University occurred out here on the prairies when a massive computer corporation "Westbridge" established itself as a presence upon the campus of the University of Regina. The company made no bones about its intent and showed little or no respect for the primary function of the University. Corporations have come now to consider universities the servants of business and industry. Since the Westbridge development in 1984 the process has simple widened its scope. (Westbridge has been traded like marbles since that time from one owner to another)

With the nineties, the shift from any idea that the universities had any function other then to turn out workers for corporate American was so complete, that all departments that did not have financial and economic value were being extinguished. History, anthropology, philosophy, theology and the "pure" sciences shrunk and were deemed as superficial as art, music and drama which had gone the same way in the decade before. The university and its leadership by the end of the century had become simply an extension of the global business economy. It is easy enough to blame the political climate of the time for the demise of the true university. Politicians concerned about mounting deficits cut spending and post secondary education and its long term affect on society was an easy decision but the reality is the politicians in our two North American countries are elected and they realistically reflect the attitudes and values of their society. They, like the leaders of corporations, view academic industry as trivial and superfluous to an effective share trading, "business is business" world. The once proud and respected University of Saskatchewan is ranked fourteenth in the country as its academic and scientific

importance dwindles almost on a daily basis. Short of funds the university has discovered academic prostitution and gone into the research brothel industry. During the past two years the University that grew up on the prairies as a place of knowledge and excellence has turned its hands toward providing governments and industry with the tools to prove ideological positions or develop biological products to suit the needs of giant corporations. Two "studies" supporting the popular recombination of small democratic forms of municipal government have been churned out, a 1997 discovery that neck collars on whiplash victims slowed recovery was turned into a "study" showing that no-fault insurance is a good thing. The provincial department of health turns to the university for a series of"studies" that supposedly show that closing of hospitals and increasing the length of time people have to wait for treatment, is a good thing. This high profile political posturing has made the University of Saskatchewan the butt of jokes and ridicule by researchers world wide, as a study coming from Saskatoon is branded immediately as just political rhetoric or fabricated pseudo science to prove a political position.

The academic brothel has been the massive development known as "innovation place" a complex of buildings built on the North side of the campus to house various corporations in their operations. Some of these are government agencies legitimately involved in research and scientific practical work, while others are just fronts for chemical and biological companies like Monsanto to develop genetically altered products and developments substantially removed from the good of all people on the planet. The measure of a culture, society or era is not by its commerce but it is by its cultural achievements. When a society's output and wealth creation reaches a level where it can support and sustain artistic development, those accomplishments allow it to stand with pride among the accomplishments of the ages. Under the peace and prosperity of the Tudors England dominated the globe and hence came Shakespeare. The trading successes of the Medici saw Italy as the primary trader that moved the wealth from the orient to Europe and created the climate for Leonardo deVinci, Michaelangelo, Rapheal, Boccicelli and the glories of the Italian renaissance. The similar wealth of the Dutch created the period known as the Dutch master and the domination of Europe by Germany brought forth the era of Mozart, Beethoven and Frans-Joseph Hydne. The brilliant economy of the American sixties produced the remarkable outpouring of art music and literature. Our present is a new dark ages, a time of concern about corporate take overs, lower taxes, productivity rather than product, a time when the arts are considered to expensive to support. The desperate conditions being created by globalisation of economic development is robbing the creative developments that would lead to real long lasting and innovative solutions. It is understandable in such times why a university board of governors would sacrifice their school's reputation and its future just to stay alive until better times come along. But selling out to the devil or to corporations (often indistinguishable from each other) can produce immortality, it can also produce equal eternal damnation. Timothy W. Shire