Catholic College Tries to Halt Higher Education Development in NWI

A recent column written by Calumet College of St. Joseph's Vice President for Academic Affairs has specifically requested that yours truly be shut down as a commentator on public affairs in NWI.  (They also called for the silencing of conservative columnist Ann Coulter, but that is a different issue.) 

In attempting to assess why this silencing was all of sudden an important issue for Calumet College and its Vice President, I was truly stumped for a while.  The viciousness of the attack was beyond anything that was readily explainable as a consequence of any recent development.  That is, there seemed to be nothing new that I had criticized or uniquely revealed that would call for this sort of response.

I then realized that there was one new development that did threaten Calumet College and the new $150,000+ position of their Vice President.  For over 15 years, I have become active in promoting metropolitan status for the universities of NWI, Purdue Calumet and Indiana University Northwest.  This would change their mission and improve their overall funding profile per student to match other universities.  This requirement would include a drastic change in governance of the two institutions to reflect the needs of NWI not the needs of Bloomington and West Lafayette as is the case currently.  It would also end the inherent discrimination against Hoosier African-Americans and Hispanics students in higher education in Indiana.

After fifteen years of lobbying the State Legislature and the Boards of Trustees of the major universities, the local political system for once has finally gotten on board this summer.  There is a bill being developed to go in front of the State Legislature for its next term.  The Mayors of Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago are supporting the proposal because they have finally realized that it the only way to gain economic development, to end racism in their communities, and bring tax dollars back to the community.

What I now realize is that the only people who will loose is Calumet College.  At best, it has always been marginal real college.  With PUC and IUN growing to 20-30,000 students each, there is no place or value any longer for Calumet College (there may not be any now).

That is why I believe the whole school, Calumet College, decided to come after me.  If they can discredit me in any way, they hope to stop their ultimate demise even if it is at the expense of the future of the people of NWI.