Sunday Focus: Does Special Money = Special teaching?

     When a University or College accepts funding that requires it to teach a particular field or topic of study, how can that teaching be free of conflicts of interest?

     Two times this past week there were Alabama stories on that theme.      
     First it was Troy University releasing a study recommending that public school systems fire some of their support personnel and instead hire for-profit companies to do the work, supposedly at a great savings. 
     The study, it turns out, came from an Institute on campus that received its initial funding from the Koch Brothers.
     Liberal New York Columnist Frank Rich called them conservative "sugar daddies" in a 2010 column.
     AEA's President had some comments about the Brothers Koch in an undated but recent column on the teacher union's website.

     Then here was Auburn University Montgomery announcing classes being taught with Chinese government money. 
     Do you think the words Tienanmen Square or re-education camps will ever be part of the curriculum?
     Will any native Chinese who are now Alabama residents protest?

AUM invites community to Confucius Day on Sept. 26

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The AUM Confucius Institute invites the community to Confucius Institute Day on Sept. 26, 12 p.m., in Taylor Center 221-223. A student art troupe from AUM's Chinese sister school, Hubei University of Economics, will present musical and dance performances, calligraphy, martial arts and other activities at the free public event honoring the 10^th anniversary of the Confucius Institutes.

The Office of Chinese Language Council International named AUM home to a Confucius Institute in 2012. It is one of two institutes in Alabama and 500 worldwide. Established in 2004 to promote the teaching of Chinese culture and language abroad, Confucius Institutes are nonprofit public organizations aligned with the Chinese government through the Ministry of Education. They are named in honor of Confucius, a Chinese teacher and philosopher who lived 551-479 B.C.

The AUM Confucius Institute provides Chinese language and culture programs to Central Alabama 

schools, as well as free Mandarin lessons on weekends to local children and adults.

[Sunday Focus is a regular feature of TimLennox.com]