Higher Ed Utah

(SL Tribune) – Every semester, 15 hand-picked Utah State University students gather on Wednesday evenings in a conference room at the Huntsman School of Business in Logan for a light meal and lively discussion about political economics. The group, called Koch Scholars, covers an exhaustive list of books, most extolling the virtues of free markets.

The food, books and a $1,000 stipend come courtesy of Charles Koch (pronounced coke), one of the nation’s richest businessmen and a contributor to right-wing political causes. USU’s financial relationship with a man who has such an obvious political agenda has raised questions about the growing influence of private and corporate money on campus, thanks in part to declining state support.

“Universities have to look to the private sector for support. One danger is that money comes with certain agendas and strings attached, so it’s a balancing act to preserve the ideals of higher education,” said philosophy professor Charlie Huenemann, an associate dean of the USU college of Humanities and Social Sciences.

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