[ Golden Gater Online - November 4, 1997 ]
Editor's note: Over the next two weeks, the Golden Gater will examine a series of public/private partnerships that have been brokered between major technology businesses and either SF State or the California State University system. This is part one of four.
Jesse Garnier
Staff writer
It's August 30, 2000. Fidgeting before her first day of class, an SF State freshman picks up her GTE SmartPhone to call her father for advice. Dad's not home, so she flips on her Hughes DirecTV, then right back off again: It's time for class.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor of her dorm room, she unfolds her Fujitsu palmtop computer running Microsoft Windows 2000. With a few keystrokes, the glowing screen welcomes her to the CSU Virtual University for her first-ever college class.
After class, she gets on the Internet, surfs over to the bookstore and orders textbooks with her AT&T OneCard. Then, she gets a head start on some homework by using the Ameritech library system to request an out-of-print book from the UCLA library.
This 21st century fantasy of high-tech education and corporate sponsorship has been swept closer to reality by four recent California State University agreements with major corporations. From new computers to new courses, big business will bring big changes on campus for future CSU students.
Technology is at the core of these new corporate partnerships. The AT&T OneCard begins as a student ID, but could grow to be a calling card, copy card, credit card, and more; an agreement with Oracle strengthens campus ties to the database company and brings courses on Oracle database programming under the CSU umbrella; the Unified Information Access system from Ameritech Library Systems links together CSU and UC libraries via the Internet; and the CETI project, a broad-ranging partnership with four major corporations, rebuilds the CSU computer network while marketing high-tech products and services to students.
The CETI and Oracle deals include, for the first time, significant provisions for partners to help build educational content within the CSU system.
Tom Middleton, western district manager for CETI partner GTE, said the courses planned as part of the CETI project will help make CSU graduates more employable in a high-tech job marketplace.
"GTE is a big player in California, and we get a lot of employees from CSU," Middleton said. "A big part of this plan is keeping CSU technology current. That improves the educational process."
GTE is one of four corporate partners in the CETI plan. Microsoft, Fujitsu Business Systems, and Hughes Electronics round out the quartet. Middleton said details of the CETI classes are still being "worked out," but many faculty are bristling at the idea of private corporations having a say in public educational content.
"The university system is a place where people develop independent ideas, not just a trade school," said Michael Perelman, professor of economics at CSU Chico. He also fears agreements like CETI are just a way of masking future CSU budget cuts, comparing it to the California Lottery's impact on education funding.
"They (the legislature) cut back funding, then we have to get funding from outside sources. The chancellor's office should be telling them, 'if you want a first rate university system, you should pay for it.' "
Paying for new technology has proven to be a challenge. A proposal to raise student fees at Sonoma State University by $300 to pay for campus computer upgrades was soundly rejected in November 1996. And, with a three-year student fee freeze currently in place, extra money for technology projects seems scarce.
Instead of relying upon corporations, the state should issue bonds for new technology, just like it would for new buildings, said Warren Kessler, professor of philosophy at CSU Fresno and CFA chapter president. "To put up buildings and hire faculty without providing technology is frankly irresponsible," he said. "This is just the latest example of disrespect for the faculty and for educational objectives."
Fully aware of any budget concerns, supporters of the corporate projects are quick to point out the cost-saving elements of their plans.
"This is the CSU taking advantage of the private sector, not the other way around," said David King, regional manager with Ameritech Library Systems. "In this project, we looked at the big picture. We were looking for a partner, not just a customer. The CSU was strategically chosen. We want this to be the first real success story."
King said both the CSU and Ameritech benefit from their relationship.
"The CSU is paying $2.5 million for a system that has a market cost of between $6 million and $10 million," King said. "What we get is a first-class library system and exposure as a leader in the field."
Although the goals of business and public education are different, they are not mutually exclusive, said Don Scoble, SF State vice president for business and finance and campus delegate to the CETI agreement team.
"Businesses exist to make money, and educational institutions exist to educate people. We need to find a balance," Scoble said. "We can not permit the profit motive to violate the educational mission. I won't let it happen."
Scoble said relationships between campuses and businesses are nothing new. He cited the engineering school's long-standing relationship with Bechtel and various business school programs as examples.
But he did acknowledge this new wave of corporate presence on campus is unprecedented. "There is nothing like this anywhere in the country," Scoble said. "This is new ground for all of us."
[ Golden Gater - November 4, 1997 ]