U-Chi's Dishonorable Faculty

Campus Report ^ | July 17, 2008 | Deborah Lambert

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U-Chi’s Dishonorable Faculty

by: Deborah Lambert, July 17, 2008

When news surfaced that a research institute was to be established at the University of Chicago in honor of the late Nobel-prize winning economist Milton Friedman, nearly 100 faculty members signed a petition, “objecting to any such enterprise that might place a stamp of approval on Professor Friedman’s economic theories,” according to James Piereson, reporting on the newcriterion.com.

One of the major gripes was that this choice “would signal to the outside world that Chicago’s faculty ‘lacks intellectual and ideological diversity’” when in fact it implies “that the left leaning faculty . . . are made uncomfortable and fearful by the presence in their midst of competing points of view.”

Leading this protest is Divinity School professor Bruce Lincoln, whose interests run to “left-wing politics and popular culture.” Roger Kimball noted that according to Prof. Lincoln’s faculty website, he writes on a variety of topics such as “Guatemalan curanderismo, Lakota sun dances, Melanesian funerary rituals, Swazi kingship, Marco Polo, professional wrestling, and the theology of George W. Bush.”...

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Hypocrites all.

[xDGx]

University of Chicago should stick to creating high-paying do-nothing jobs for politicians’ spouses.

[xtinct]

Liberal faculty in EVERY university in the nation would object to any honor bestoyed upon a man of Milton Friedman's stature and accomplishment... because an honor like that only GLARINGLY points out their mediocrity.

And, trust me when I tell you that most professors fall into the catagories of poor to mediocre.

I don't know why parents continue to pay for their childrren to become administrative assistants or less upon college graduation.

[Clemenza]

As a U of C alumn (AM 1999), I will tell you that even the liberal profs are TOUGH and won't suffer fools, left or right, gladly. If you are keen of mind and ready to support your beliefs, you will will be respected. You can't say that about most schools.

Besides Chicago still has the Committee on Social Thought and, of course, the econ department, to say nothing of the Great Books program for undergrads.

[riverdawg]

So, how do you square your perceptions of the liberal faculty at Chicago (If you are keen of mind ... you will be respected.”) with the fact that 100 of them signed a petition against this center? Certainly, Milton Friedman was viewed by even those who disagreed with him as “keen of mind.” I watched numerous debates in which the ideas of prominent left-leaning faculty and “public intellectuals” were systematically dismantled by Friedman, always in a kindly, smiling fashion.