I just saw a 10,000 square foot modern brick school building on 1.3 acres of
land listed for sale on Ebay (under real estate, land) in Paradise, Kansas
(population 66), for $45,000. It is being sold by the Russell County
Government,
subject to their approval of proposed use. It looks to me like it would make
a
nice starting facility (central to the US) for a low-cost non-corporatized
progressive university, which I believe the children of the progressive
community are in sore need of. The motivation for this email is to bring
together
those that would like to be involved in such a project or similar ones of
their
own design (either new or ongoing), either as students, professors,
planners/administrators, possible donors, or fundraisers, and let them work
out the
details (using instant runoff voting, hopefully, to select leadership and
make
decisions).
I'm hoping that there might be some current or former professors or
administrators out there that might be able to bring some knowledge of the
hurdles to
be cleared in getting such a project off the ground. My hope is that we can
bring progressive educators together with open-minded students without the
profit-oriented middlemen. This could take the form of either a physical
campus or
campuses, or an on-line one, or a combination of the two. Notice that I am
not
suggesting that professors work for free or that students attend for free.
Those kinds of decisions would be determined by the resources and needs of
potential participants, and the possibility of different projects for those
with
different needs is also a possibility.
If you would consider getting involved in such a project either in the
formation phase, or as a professor or student, please respond via our
ordering
website, using the first field to specify "university project" and how you
would
like to be involved:
http://members.pdxweb.net/justicevision
Please specify the nature of your interest (formation phase, or as a
potential professor or student) and a very brief description of your
academic and
organizing background (highest degree, years of school or college, major
subject
area(s), teaching experience, organizing experience). No one will be
excluded
from the project by me on the basis of these, but it will help us gauge what
resources we can collectively muster, and consequently, how high we can set
our
goals. Please also indicate if you have the time to take an organizing role,
since my plate is already pretty full.
Please distribute this email as widely as possible. If you are not familiar
with progressive politics in general or with our video series in particular,
please visit our catalog website:
www.justicevision.org
If there is sufficient interest, I will put serious respondents in touch
with
each other.
Thank you for your consideration.
Best wishes,
Ralph Cole, Editor, the Democracy University Video Series.
DemocracyU@aol.com (213) 747-6345 catalog website:
www.justicevision.org
PS: I apologize for my audacity in so cavalierly suggesting we embark on
such
a huge undertaking as starting a university. Maybe all I am doing is
dreaming
out loud. But I believe the need is not only there, but equally huge. If the
answers to the queries "If not us, who? If not now, when?" are forthcoming,
my
kids and I will be happy to hear them, and I will forward them to all those
interested.
