Students on nearly 30 campuses around the country called for a separation of college and corporation in protests Monday. Although the events highlighted financial influence from the Koch brothers, organizers said the campaign is a response to a broader trend of corporate influence.
The idea was spearheaded by students at Florida State University, where past criticisms over the university’s relationship with the Charles Koch Foundation are now intertwined with criticism of choice of a politician without an academic background for university president.
Outside of Florida, students at colleges from Michigan to Virginia also took steps Monday against their respective colleges’ relationship with the Koch brothers.
Libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch have been funneling millions of dollars to universities for several years, generally paying for the hiring of new faculty members and supporting economic centers that focus on capitalism and free enterprise. Critics say that some of the arrangement go beyond philanthropy to influencing curricular or hiring choices in inappropriate ways that colleges should reject.
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