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I think Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a buzz word thats been quite popular recently as high level corporate scandals have prompted share holders to seek greater accountability of how their investments are used. But, I am seeing the term more often used to define the “charitable works” or social projects of corporations, and I wonder if in the future this will be expanded from supporting charitable foundations to funding mainstream education.
But first I would like to qualify something. I think the corporate funding of higher-education has been well established as Domus states in his post which sums the research tendencies in the global scientific field. Companies are interesting in subsidizing, if not subsuming research departments in universities which have developed facilities to cut the costs to their own Research and Development budget. And univerisity researchers are just as keen on getting funding and better equipment.
-The danger here is of course dependency, and the narrowing of fields of interest to cater corporate interests.
Now as Janos states, corporations are by theory to abstain from being fund holders of larger infrastructural developments. And for the most part I agree, but I have this sinking feeling that this will change as more of us become shareholders of corporations vis-a-vis our pensions. (please correct me if I am wrong). There is a vested interest on the part of corporations to foster creative new talent to meet the resource shortages awaiting in the future.
Meenakshi's question “how much will corporations interfere with educators?” is a vital question as well, and it could be considered along the lines of elementary/secondary and post-secondary education. I think the spectre of corporations having a grip on children at such impressionable ages is daunting to most.
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