George Will adds to the point made below by Joe Knippenberg about the the lack of diversity (in thought) in the academy. He attempts to explain why this is so, and what its consequences are: " Academics such as the next secretary of state still decorate Washington, but academia is less listened to than it was. It has marginalized itself, partly by political shrillness and silliness that have something to do with the parochialism produced by what George Orwell called ’smelly little orthodoxies.’
Many campuses are intellectual versions of one-party nations -- except such nations usually have the merit, such as it is, of candor about their ideological monopolies. In contrast, American campuses have more insistently proclaimed their commitment to diversity as they have become more intellectually monochrome.
They do indeed cultivate diversity -- in race, skin color, ethnicity, sexual preference. In everything but thought."
Unfortunately, students at AU won’t be able to engage in any discourse on this, or any other subject, with agnostic, Muslim, Hindu or any other non-Judeo-Christian professors, since AU’s current policy is to only hire Jews and Christians as profs. I know of more than a few right-leaning, Republican-oriented agnostics and Muslims (ok, I’ve only known a coupla Hindus EVER, and I’ve no idea what their politics were). Why couldn’t they teach at AU (or hey, even at the Ashbrook Center), if they were otherwise qualified?
I suppose the argument there is that, as a private college founded by Christians, the school can set whatever rules it wants, eh? Why does that one leave me cold?
I’m all for maximizing diversity on campuses, and this very much includes diversity of thought.
I am a former Physics Professor and even at a private university being a conservative was a strike against me. Being a white male (as well as a Republican) was the kiss of death in at least one interview. With the last cycle of student population ups and downs (and the staff contraction), I turned to my other talent of designing and building playhouses for children. What amazes me is that people can not understand why I would do "manual labor" (shocked expressions) instead of looking for the government dole (i.e. welfare). Well my kids like to eat, and do so EVERY day. If I am the only PhD in Iowa pounding nails, so be it. Aren’t the Libs the ones that celebrate individuality? So why are they shocked that I would rather build little houses for kids than fight with the academia.
Ed R-
Ex-Physics Professor. Builder/creator Kidsafe playhouses. The only playhouse builder working with the CDC’s National Program for Playground Safety.
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