"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Thursday, December 18, 2014

U of M President David Rudd Tries Cutting Social Security Payments to Part-Time Workers

As David Rudd continues his assault on the University of Memphis's reputation, legitimacy, and good name, it is clear why the oligarchs used extortionist methods to make sure that more qualified candidates were not selected in favor of Rudd.  Rudd's latest assault on decency in the name of efficiency: a plan to end Social Security payments for temporary workers.  How much could it save for the University's $365 million budget?  To deprive the most economically vulnerable of its workers a few crumbs toward retirement, it would save, in total, $500,000.  

And how much has Rudd promised the corporate foundations who are planning to put up a $24 million grant to get the Relay debacle up and running?  Well, usually the University charges just over 40 percent to administer grants, but in the case of Gates, Walton, etc., the university will charge nothing for its all the services associated with administering the grant over two years.  If Rudd were charging what he would charge for an NSF grant, for instance, the university would charge around $9.6 million.  No wonder the oligarchs chose this guy!

From public records recently released, we find that by Mid-April 2014, the Chamber of Commerce and the corporate foundations were in a lather to get Rudd's name pushed to the top of the short list of presidential candidates, which included, by the way, a former president from the University of Alabama.  

Rudd, having never served as president of any university, was the sure pick of the corporations, and the unveiled threats to the head of the Tennessee Board of Regents, John Morgan, came through emails from corporate stooge and Memphis healthcare CEO, Gary Shorb.

In the email below, which can be accessed here, Shorb makes it clear that the University could suffer economically if David Rudd is not chosen.  If that were not enough to cut off Morgan's consideration of other candidates, how about the threat to create a whole new board to, essentially, neuter the Board of Regents.  
When will Haslam declare, you're doing a heckuva job, David!


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