Harkin Institute
- Thread starter Cysmik
- Start date
His wife will have to work a different closed/backdoor deal to get his name at a different school.
Nope.
The Harkin Institute’s advisory board voted to recommend Harkin not leave his papers at ISU. Bill Knapp will work to get them given to Drake.
His papers are not there yet (never were and aren't going to be) and the Institute is still there (as of now).
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
It's his papers of his work over his time in the Senate.
I think it'd be pretty cool to have them at ISU, his alma mater. But alas, some believe they dont want to open them to using research on agriculture related items because its supposedly be double research with what an agriculture research center does.
Politics of course get involved to per usual with Brandstad.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
His professional and personal papers from time in Congress. Essentially, like the Presidential libraries, but for a career member of the House and Senate.
The idea was that the Institute would perform some sort of public policy research. What that meant was pretty vague. The idea of housing the papers was that it would attract scholars doing research into policy measures during Harkin's congressional time.
I know the Interim director of the Harkin Institute, wonder what this means for him.
From 13
The concern would be, for example, if the Harkin Institute does research in one aspect of agriculture while ISU’s own agriculture department goes in another direction.
Harkin feels like an academic setting is the place for discussion and a free flow of many voices on many topics, agriculture included. He doesn’t see how anyone would want otherwise. Harkin has threatened to give his official papers from his 40 years in public office to Drake University instead of Iowa State if he and Leath don’t reach a compromise.
The concern would be, for example, if the Harkin Institute does research in one aspect of agriculture while ISU’s own agriculture department goes in another direction.
Harkin feels like an academic setting is the place for discussion and a free flow of many voices on many topics, agriculture included. He doesn’t see how anyone would want otherwise. Harkin has threatened to give his official papers from his 40 years in public office to Drake University instead of Iowa State if he and Leath don’t reach a compromise.
Thank you. So it is kind of a big deal then. Am I understanding correctly that it is pretty much a done deal then, or is there still a chance an agreement will be made?
Exactly right. It's no coincidence that Branstad gets elected, remakes the Board of Regents in his image, and ISU is mired in political controversy ever since. Between the Harkin issue, the tuition set-aside, and Agrisol it's been a pretty embarrassing 18 months or so.
This is what happens when you appoint people because they're good friends of your campaign, rather than their actual interest in, you know, governing.
Cyclonepride
Thought Police
Why do you always have to bring facts into the conversation?
I am curious what the "academic freedom" ******* match was about. I'm guessing Tom wanted freedom under his own terms (which is kind of his thing).
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
That's pretty often the deal.
To play Harkin advocate, which feels strange, I wouldn't ignore that ag research brings in a boatload of $ to the school. Administrators probably want to keep research going that keeps the gravy train alive.
