Two MP3, mono, 64 kbps. Part One: 44:25 Part Two: 28:24
ATTENTION RADIO BROADCASTERS! Swear in Part Two at 14:55.
This is a recording of Ben Manski on "Higher Education and the Democracy Movement: The Public University in an Age of Corporatization". He spoke at the Democracy and Education Conference, at the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut, on April 2, 2006.
The image of radical students dominating their campuses is obsolete, if it was ever accurate. Over the last two generations, corporations have made new inroads into university life. Today, you are more likely to find a mega-chain bookstore or a so-called "public-private partnership" at a university than a chapter of SDS. But of course, change does not only move in one direction.
Last Spring a group of students here at the University of Connecticut organized a "Democracy and Education Conference". The weekend was filled with speaker presentations, panel discussions, and even some musical performances. Among the speakers was Ben Manski.
Ben Manski is a Wisconsin political activist, writer, and lawyer. He serves the Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution, and recently served as co-chair of the Green Party of the United States from 2001 through 2004. He was employed on the staffs of a number of environmental, social justice, pro-democracy, and education advocacy organizations throughout the 1990's, including Greenpeace, Progressive Dane, and the national Campus Greens. He has also worked with many other organizations including the Independent Progressive Politics Network, United for Peace and Justice, and Earth First!. He currently serves on the boards of the Press Connection Foundation and United Progressives for Democracy.
Relevant Links: Democracy & Education Conference (2006): http://democracy.uconn.edu/ Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution: http://www.libertytreefdr.org Transnational Institute, and their 'Public Services Yearbook': www.tni.org Tent State University: www.tentstate.org
An abbreviated version of this recording was aired on January 8 and 22, 2007, on WHUS Radio.