| # | Name | Comments |
|---|
| 251 | Johnathan Bumgarner | Considering the Bush administration's record of censoring research it is not surprising that this is one of the tactics he and his cronies would use to rewrite his failures. The media loves to quote the one scientist in the world that dissents (even if that dissention is to say the Earth is actually cooling instead of warming and is research paid for by coal companies) in the name of 'fairness' and this institute sounds like it would provide plenty of 'experts' for future agenda-based research. |
| 252 | Elaine Westbrooks | |
| 253 | kristina jacobsen | |
| 254 | Michael Goldman | |
| 255 | Walter J. Houston, Mansfield College, Oxford, UK | I agree that it is entirely inappropriate for a politically partisan institute to appear to be part of an academic institution. |
| 256 | Irene Martin | |
| 257 | David Holmberg | I support this petition in order to uphold the core values of universities, the production and reproduction of knowledge independent of political influence. |
| 258 | Christopher Gelpi | Duke University |
| 259 | John C Holbert | I am Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics at Perkins School of Theology, SMU |
| 260 | Joseph Galura | |
| 261 | William J. Kennedy, Professor of Comparative Literature, Cornell University | |
| 262 | Liz Nowicki | University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work
Director, Office of Professional Development |
| 263 | Alice Bach | The library would be very small, probably could fit inside a phone booth. In spite of that, I am opposed to such a clearly partisan arrangement --which casts a shadow on academic freedom. |
| 264 | Anonymous | |
| 265 | Nadine Schulte | Addiction Institute, School of Scoial Work, University of Texas at Austin. |
| 266 | Dr. Chris Krupa | |
| 267 | Judith T. Irvine | If the University (SMU) has no authority over the activities of the Bush Foundation's Institute, then the Institute should NOT be located on the SMU campus or associated with SMU in any way.
Judith T. Irvine
Edward Sapir Professor of Anthropology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI |
| 268 | Anonymous | Libraries and the universities that house them are intended to be places for intellectual exchange and growth; if the Bush Memorial Library is to include a conservative think tank, it violates this most basic principle of education. The intellectual reputation of SMU as an institution would be compromised by this inclusion. As a graduate student, I certainly would shy away from any school that allows itself to be used as a mouthpiece of any politician, conservative, liberal, or anywhere inbetween. I strongly support this petition to keep the institute physically removed from SMU's campus.
Sincerely,
Christine Murphy
PhD Candidate
Emory University |
| 269 | Elizabeth Hayes Turner | |
| 270 | Laray Polk | Former faculty member, North Lake College and the University of Texas at Dallas |
| 271 | Linda Zerilli | An idea worthy of the man's ego. |
| 272 | Karen Beckwith | |
| 273 | Andrew Spiegel | |
| 274 | Marcus Collins, History Department, Emory University | |
| 275 | Astrid M. Eckert, | Emory University, History Department |
| 276 | Walter L. Adamson | |
| 277 | Maurizio Passerin d'Entreves | Professor and Chair of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy
University of Cape Town
Cape Town
South Africa |
| 278 | Anonymous | |
| 279 | Jim Summers | I am a Professor in the Department of Health Administration at Texas State University. I do not represent the university and am not using their email. I speak as a citizen. I am opposed to the idea that W should think it is okay to get the SMU branding while being subject to no oversight at all. But is not that how he has wanted to run the Presidency all along? |
| 280 | Yonder M. Gillihan | Dept. of Theology
Boston College
Allowing any partisan think tank on any university campus defies the ideals of classical liberal education. Properly founded universities promote free and critical exchange of ideas, so that ideas, whatever their origin, may be critically evaluated. In any case universities should should not appear to sanction any particular partisan agenda or another. |
| 281 | Dr. Miguel Ferguson | |
| 282 | James Van Horn Melton | |
| 283 | Breena Holland | |
| 284 | Elizabeth York Enstam | Former Adjunct Professor of History, SMU, 1981-84
I find it puzzling that a US President who has presided over an administration devoted to the highest levels of secrecy--to the point even of reclassifying materials that had been open and available to the public for decades--should care about a library at all, except, of course, that this particular library is actually a museum. Of far deeper concern, however, is the projected institute intended to further the anti-democratic and exclusivist political philosophy under which this president has chosen to serve. I cannot see such an institute as anything except inimical to Southern Methodist University and everything it has represented in the past. An aggressively partisan institute will, I deeply fear, inevitably draw the University, in the public mind, into the anti-intellectual orbit of such sects as the creationists and, I have no doubt, produce innumerable conflicts regarding basic issues of academic freedom, of what is taught and discussed in the classrooms, and of the activities and purposes of student organizations. I am deeply sorry that such a fine and academically respected institution as SMU should have to deal with issues that belong to the distant (even the pre-Renaissance) past. |
| 285 | Michael Alvard | Associate Professor, Anthropology, Texas A&M University |
| 286 | William Schweiker, Professor of Theological Etrhics, The University of Chicago | |
| 287 | Nicholas King | |
| 288 | Michael Belzer | I am appalled at the level of damage George W. Bush has done to American democracy, American foreign policy, and American administrative and governance institutions. In a globally competitive world, the policies of George Bush have seriously damaged the life chances of American youth today, as well as damaged the futures of Americans for the 21st Century. The politicization and de-professionalization of the U.S. government has far exceeded that of any past presidents, except perhaps Andrew Jackson. If SMU establishes a partisan enterprise on its campus, the future of this university will be in doubt. |
| 289 | Peter J. Hugill | From my perspective as President of the TAMU Chapter of AAUP there is a serious issue here of restriction of academic freedom unless the institute is separated. I note also that I currently teach part of my load in TAMU's Bush School and that Bush 41 and the Dean of the School have been fully supportive of the normal operation of academic freedom. There has certainly been no attempt to impose any political agenda on the School. |
| 290 | Teresa Delgado, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Coordinator, Peace and Justice Studies
Iona College
New Rochelle, NY |
| 291 | Darby Ray | Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Millsaps College, Jackson, MS |
| 292 | Anonymous | An association with George W. Bush and SMU would be highly detrimental to the scholarly pursuits of the university. |
| 293 | Dawn DeVries | |
| 294 | M. McClintock Fulkerson | Duke Divinity School |
| 295 | John E. Thiel | |
| 296 | Ian A. McFarland | Candler School of Theology
Emory University |
| 297 | Anonymous | |
| 298 | Katherine Verdery | I support the general principle behind this petition but I am also concerned about the specific case: the present administration has made a point of undermining many core institutions of our society, and we should prevent their penetrating even further into legitimate scholarly inquiry than they already have. |
| 299 | Ellen T. Armour | |
| 300 | Jeannine Hill Fletcher | Fordham University
Department of Theology |