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Rotisserie Question

"I think one of the most worrisome trends is the effort by a number of
universities to form partnerships with for-profit institutions that do
have the advantage of giving them ready access to large amounts of
capital, but of course in return you have to conduct these ventures with
the hope of making very large profits..."   Derek Bok

One ramification of President Bok's worries is the work that our faculty members do outside their core teaching responsibilities.  The widespread use of digital technology and the intellectual-property policies of the university, in combination, have made it easier and more profitable for faculty members to engage in entrepreneurial or consulting activities unrelated to their core Harvard responsibilities.  In such contexts, the 'Harvard identity' typically functions as a form of accreditation, lending the actor credence and prestige.  Should we acquiesce in these trends?  Encourage them?  Discourage them?"

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Done. Started on
9/30/02 4:00 PM
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Start: 9/30/02 4:00 PM
Round 1 Due: 10/3/02 2:00 PM
Round 2 Due: 10/6/02 2:00 PM
Final Due: 10/9/02 4:00 PM
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This is not a new trend. In private universities, rights to knowledge have traditionally belonged to the faculty as individuals and they traditionally augmented their personal income by consulting and More...

This reminds me of Harvard's extra compensation policy.  If I were to teach a class on theatre here, I would get paid outside my normal salary, at whatever rate was More...

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1. On for-profits using the Harvard name: I used to work at a computer training school that uses the name of a fairly good university to sell its programs (they More...

Your response pretty closely tracks trademark law -- and here, I think trademark law gets it right (steering clear of dilution).  

That is, trademark law protects a company's brand in More...

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The first issue is whether Harvard as an institution (following up on President Bok's quote) should be working with for-profit ventures.  To some extent, such collaboration is inevitable, as universities More...

I've already responded to this text.  I have a hard time finding the thread in this discussion.  Should we be commenting on others' submissions?  Nobody has responded to mine.  Why More...

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The framing of the question smacks to me of the baseball owners ca. 1970, worried selfishly about free-agency.  And in the Harvard context it conjures us the sorry recent history More...

can't individual faculty be bought off just as easily as the medical school?  Well, maybe not quite that easily, but I'll bet old Henry was consulting away aiding and abetting More...

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Faculty should be allowed to go forth and consult to their content, but there should be - and might be already, for all I know - a real oversight role More...

I am intrigued by this idea of punishing "a few abusers of the privilege".  Would it take the form of a public flogging in Tercentenary Theater?  A disgorgement of profits, More...

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