MEDIA CONTACT: Wendy Leopold at 847-491-4890 or w-leopold@northwestern.edu

May 3, 2005

'Academic-Industrial' Complex Is Lecture Topic

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The influence of corporate funding on higher education is the subject of a discussion with Jennifer Washburn, author of “University, Inc.: The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education,” Wednesday, May 4, on Northwestern University’s Evanston campus.

Washburn will discuss her provocative new book describing a new “academic-industrial complex” in which the influence of corporations on higher education compromises research and scholarly independence. Free and open to the public, the lecture/discussion begins at 3:30 p.m. in the McCormick Tribune Center Forum, 1870 Campus Drive.

A freelance journalist and fellow at the New America Foundation, Washburn has written for the Atlantic Monthly, Washington Post, Nation, American Prospect and other national media. The discussion about her new book is titled “University Inc.: A Dialogue on the Rise of Commercial Values in Higher Education.” It is sponsored by Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research (IPR).

Burton A. Weisbrod, John Evans Professor of Economics at Northwestern and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, will serve as discussant. Moderating the discussion will be Jeff Manza, professor of sociology at Northwestern and IPR acting director.

For further information, call (847) 491-8712.