In order to promote critical reflection and public discussions on the impact of neoliberalism on higher education the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University is hosting a national conference on “Neoliberalism and Public Higher Education” at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in East Lansing, Michigan, on March 27 – 28, 2015.

Critical topics include the corporatization of public colleges and universities, the privatization of public higher education and its implications for democracy, performance-based budgeting and its implications for institutional governance, the impact of neoliberalism on shared governance, trends in state funding, rising tuition rates and their implications for working class and minority students, the assault on ethnic studies and its implications for academic freedom and the curriculum, and flexible labor and the dramatic increase of adjunct faculty members.

Keynote Speakers:

March 27, 2015

“What Good is Higher Education? How Neoliberalism Constrains Teaching, Research and Outreach”
Lawrence Busch
University Distinguished Professor of Sociology
Michigan State University

March 28, 2015

“Private Advantage and New Patterns of Stratification among Public and Private Research Universities: Implications for the Public Good”
Sheila Slaughter
Louise McBee
Professor of Higher Education
University of Georgia

Papers

Original professional papers presenting formal research results, theoretical developments or analyses, case studies, innovative practical applications, evaluations of interventions, policies or programs, and analyses of emergent issues and trends which contribute to our understanding of and point to ways to move beyond neoliberalism in public higher education . Authors should submit an abstract of no more than 300 words that includes: title, author(s) names and affiliations, email address, and phone number(s).

Panels

Panel proposals focusing on the key features of neoliberalism and higher education. Panel participants will present professional papers pertaining to the panel topic. Panel organizers should submit an abstract of no more than 500 words that includes the panel title, panel description, name and contact information of the panel organizer(s)/moderator, presenters, their affiliations and presentation titles, and the name and affiliation of the panel discussant. The ideal panel for paper presentations includes a moderator, three presenters and a discussant.
Submission Deadline: December 15, 2014.

Submission Deadline

All submissions should be made electronically. Please submit them to jsamorai@msu.edu. For more information please call517.432.1317. Information is also available at http://jsri.msu.edu.