Corporatization of the University

“The UA Discourse Series is a series of public forums dedicated to elevating our national discourse. Each semester, campus faculty, public officials, community leaders, and students engage in a series of roundtable discussions on matters of public interest. Members of the University and greater Tucson community are welcome to attend our forums, ask pointed questions, and vote on the winners!” (UA Discourse Series, 2025)

The University of Arizona’s Discourse Series theme for the 2024-2025 academic year is the “State of Public Higher Education.” This particular panel concentrated on contingent labor in the corporate university. The panel featured special guest Dr. Daniel Bessner from the University of Washington and several University of Arizona faculty members. You can watch the the recording of the panel below.

The panel spoke on what it means to be contingent faculty in the age of corporatization; panelists raised awareness for a student-centered audience about the types of faculty employed at the University of Arizona, their working conditions, and how faculty working conditions ARE students’ learning conditions.