Advertisement

I just saw a 10,000 square foot modern brick school building on 1.3 acres of land listed for sale on Ebay (under real estate, land) in Paradise, Kansas (population 66), for $45,000. It is being sold by the Russell County Government, subject to their approval of proposed use. It looks to me like it would make a nice starting facility (central to the US) for a low-cost non-corporatized progressive university, which I believe the children of the progressive community are in sore need of. The motivation for this email is to bring together those that would like to be involved in such a project or similar ones of their own design (either new or ongoing), either as students, professors, planners/administrators, possible donors, or fundraisers, and let them work out the details (using instant runoff voting, hopefully, to select leadership and make decisions).

I'm hoping that there might be some current or former professors or administrators out there that might be able to bring some knowledge of the hurdles to be cleared in getting such a project off the ground. My hope is that we can bring progressive educators together with open-minded students without the profit-oriented middlemen. This could take the form of either a physical campus or campuses, or an on-line one, or a combination of the two. Notice that I am not suggesting that professors work for free or that students attend for free. Those kinds of decisions would be determined by the resources and needs of potential participants, and the possibility of different projects for those with different needs is also a possibility.

If you would consider getting involved in such a project either in the formation phase, or as a professor or student, please respond via our ordering website, using the first field to specify "university project" and how you would like to be involved:

http://members.pdxweb.net/justicevision

Please specify the nature of your interest (formation phase, or as a potential professor or student) and a very brief description of your academic and organizing background (highest degree, years of school or college, major subject area(s), teaching experience, organizing experience). No one will be excluded from the project by me on the basis of these, but it will help us gauge what resources we can collectively muster, and consequently, how high we can set our goals. Please also indicate if you have the time to take an organizing role, since my plate is already pretty full.

Please distribute this email as widely as possible. If you are not familiar with progressive politics in general or with our video series in particular, please visit our catalog website: www.justicevision.org

If there is sufficient interest, I will put serious respondents in touch with each other.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best wishes, Ralph Cole, Editor, the Democracy University Video Series. DemocracyU@aol.com
    (213) 747-6345     catalog website: www.justicevision.org

PS: I apologize for my audacity in so cavalierly suggesting we embark on such a huge undertaking as starting a university. Maybe all I am doing is dreaming out loud. But I believe the need is not only there, but equally huge. If the answers to the queries "If not us, who? If not now, when?" are forthcoming, my kids and I will be happy to hear them, and I will forward them to all those interested.