Friday, December 17, 2010

Entrepreneurial Professorships

Some interesting ideas on higher education reform here,, but I would like to focus on the idea of the professor as entrepreneur. I like the idea, but wouldn't taking this idea seriously require that instead of departments hiring faculty, that they be open to people coming in from the outside. For example, I have a Ph.D. in the humanities, but I do not have an academic position. Suppose I could convince 15 grad students to take a class on evolutionary aesthetics from me. Then what? Should UT-Dallas or Southern Methodist, both of which I leave near, hire me? Or what if someone wanted me on their dissertation committee, but I was not a member of any faculty? Free-lance/free agent professorships? I like the idea. I think I could succeed in that kind of system.

No comments: