Corporatization of the University: Seeking Conceptual Clarity

The notion of corporatization is the most ominous buzzword in contemporary academic circles. A significant literature on the subject deals with the transformation of the American university. There has been substantial change—perhaps fundamental—in the direction of a university that displays the culture, practices, policies, and workforce strategies more appropriate to corporations. The article seeks to show what corporatization is and is not and to suggest some historical and contextual factors producing the change. The article seeks to deconstruct the term “corporatization” or “entepreneurial” to demonstrate the wide variety of meanings that the term covers. To the extent that a corporatized university is no university or corporate values are not academic values, the article concludes, it is the burden for faculty to address the issue of protecting traditional academic values.