Swords and Sheepskins: Militarization of Higher Education in the United States and Prospects of its Conversion

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the militarization of higher education in the United States and prospects of its conversion. The tacit social contract between academia and society that encompasses the aforementioned tenets is not being honored in full measure either by the federal government, academic administrators, or the corporate partners of academia. The pattern of DoD RTD&E funding to academic institutions traces significant political acts by both the executive office of the president and executives of academic institutions. Engineering and the physical sciences have historically been the recipients of the greatest share of DoD largesse and currently these academic departments remain heavily reliant on DoD funds. When evaluating proposals from university researchers, the DoD substitutes its own evaluative regime for the traditional peer review process of the academic community.