2 Telecasts Focus on Finances of College Sports

At the same time, Herman Cain’s pronouncement that he won’t nominate Muslim judges or cabinet members when he runs for U.S. president is beyond reprehensible. The vast majority of U.S. Muslims are law-abiding citizens who recognize the Establishment Clause means the government may not favor sharia.

Neverthless, Islam is a powerful religion around the world, and what better means to puncture the pretensions of the powerful than satire?

Here’s an idea for the networks with time on their hands: Do a research report on the average amount of money college athletes, at elite programs especially, give back to their alma matre over the years. Then look at how much the non-athletes give back over the years to their alma matre. Base it on whatever fairness numbers one wants. Here is what will be discovered: Elite athletes who subsequently go to the pros give but a small fraction of what the degreed alumi who work in manufacturing, consulting, sales, government…donate back to theirs. Example: Not too long ago I was faculty at one of these elite universities with one of the top national football programs year in and year out. I was amazed at how miniscule were the financial donations back to the school by their athletes (pro or not). One guy, still a pro today making $12 million annual, has yet to make good his “$100K pledge” some six years later. He’s been persoanlly reminded, but he doesn’t care. Though, in truth, when the university brought him back a few years later to retire his jersey in front of a sell out at home, on national TV, on the 50 yard line, they “thanked him also for his geneous contribution he just has made to the scholarship program.” What crap. I think they finally gave up on him ever fulfilling his pledge. I’ve got dozens of similar stories. Bottom line: The common, non athlete folks who get the academic degrees make up about 99.999% of all alum donations. Pay the players while they are in college too? Then how about the debate teams on the road six months every year? How about the bands? Forget paying athletes past their already geneous scholarships. Would be just money wasted one way or the other.

One example for me was helping out with my daughter’s Science Olympiad team. It became the hobby that almost ate our lives- as my wife and I both ended up coaching a whole range of events outside our area of expertise. I think both of us found that it made us better teachers, and I’ve found it has broadened me intellectually. I credit it with helping me to get a faculty job and a very well-known university .

I think whether one is pitiful or not depends in part on how narrowly you define work. If it’s just the stuff you publish on, then come on- life is bigger than the letters of some obscure medieval author, or the isotopic composition of T. Rex. teeth. But I think, the person who cares about the broadest possible context of their work will be a better scholar and colleague in the long term.

Dear David:  Nice international textbook article.  It is a fantasy of overseas academia without the corruption, failure to comply with contracts, lack of written policies, religious issues, murder, the HRM department.  Even in America, the personnel department is usually staffed with a local graduate who never studied business least of all international labor law. 

In our quest to give the world a Western education, which is highly overrated, we put profits above life.  Mohamed Al-Majed, a Qatari student studying English in East Sussex was murdered.  The police are calling it “racially motivated.”  For every pro study abroad article the CHE chooses to publish, I can give you multiple examples of arrested, tortured, incarcerated and murdered students and faculty.  Forced diversity is a failure.  Please stop the propaganda.

My condolences to Mr. Al-Majed’s family and friends.

Interesting article. As a former teacher for two Massachusetts colleges with new programs in China, I advise institutions to plan before jumping into a program. Yes, your adjuncts may not get insurance in the US, but they also can get insurance through a spouse or a job at Starbucks (they shouldn’t have to but that’s another issue).

Also, employers shouldn’t just use their extra airline miles to buy the professor’s airline tickets as mine did, thus leaving me stranded for a week in China in January when I had to change my schedule.

Yes, this report is free, but since you’re branching out in order to make money, expect to invest in HR expertise as government agencies and corporations do to avoid law suits or problems with healthcare that differ from you local operations.

A word to the wise, I don’t recommend working for a school that’s just launching an overseas program unless you’re a full time employee that they view as valuable.

Bravo for Middlebury and Monterey Institute for Int’l Studies. Yet, I’ve seen these international partnerships and I doubt most US schools would be willing to properly pay a professional.