FSU: Just like Harvard . . . .

A few years ago, when FSU's BOT of Trustees was comparing a presidential candidate with political experience (who had served as president of a community college) to a former UCLA dean and Ohio State provost, John Thrasher made the Harvard comparison.  In a letter to the editor of the Tallahassee Democrat, a reader compares FSU's chiropractic proposals to proposals adopted by the medical schools at Duke, Virginia, Emory and Harvard.  FSU's proposal, however, is fundamentally different in two respects: a) unlike each of these other alternative medicine programs, it is not in the medical school, and b) it is a fundamentally a chiropractic program.  FSUblius would be delighted to see FSU emulate Duke, Virginia, Emory and Harvard, rather than contract its program out to chiropractors. 

Also, despite his political experience, TK Wetherell (who had never worked on a university campus before becoming FSU's president) is not Larry Summers (who was a successful tenured professor before becoming a Clinton appointee).  FSUblius could imagine Wetherell going head-to-head with Bobby Bowden, but no one in Florida could imagine him directly confronting a chaired scholar about the quality of their research or challenging the faculty on quality, as Summers has.

A series of letters to the editor in this morning's St. Petersburg Times emphasizes how chiropractic works for many people and how that justifies shunning facuty to adopt a politically imposed program.  Since when is the standard for university adoption of an academic program " it works for me"?  The reader who accuses faculty of being "narrow-minded bigots" (does this phrase ring familiar) fails to mention that many faculty, in fields that do not compete for patients with chiropractors (including chemistry, mathematics, and psychology) are raising concerns with the proposal.  Perhaps FSU faculty are not as worldly as Florida state legislators, but being "liberal" and "open minded" does not mean that pluralism completely subsumes science as just another belief system.

To those watching in other states, the public discourse surrounding the FSU chiropractic program typifies the public discussion of higher education issues in Florida.  Leaving matters to politics clearly is harming higher education in this state.

Comments

You obviously dislike TK Wetherell, but why? Because he was not a university professor, dean or provost? I think that FSU is really on a roll under his leadership. They are building more on campus than ever before, there is a new medical school building, and student and alumni morale is at a high point. TK brings real world experience and credibility with the Florida legislature, and this new program could benefit the university substantially. You claim to be an FSU fan, but watch out what you ask for. Just wait to see what would happen to FSU if the legislature were to take the $9 million away. I agree with Senator Jones: FSU should do this program -- it could be a national leader and it needs this money since the Governor vetoed some of the other money TK was able to build into FSU's budget last year.

Where in the hell is TK Wetherell???? On vacation?