Letter to USC President

April 12, 2013

Dr. C.L. Max Nikias

Office of the President

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 90089-4019

Dear Dr. Nikias:

As a Floridian I am not used to writing to college Presidents in California, however, this letter is prompted by the recent national exposure of one of your Political Science professors at the University, Darry Sragow, and his utter disregard of proper educational standards unbecoming of your distinguished University. I am not naïve in believing that, to put it mildly, most professors have a certain left of center political bent based on the statistics I’ve seen, but the video went far beyond political bias. He condemned Republicans as a party of racists and stupid old white men and said they were fostering ID voting requirements on people they don’t want to vote. There also were many other mistruths, lies, and absolute falsehoods that he was teaching students about California politics that apparently suited his prejudicial viewpoint. I know you don’t support such indoctrination, intimidation, and political rhetoric from a so-called teacher.

Professor Sragow now blames the student who took the video and says he was free to challenge him. That is ridiculous!  Besides, he was actually reading this garbage and his delivery was utterly boring (an inept educator too boot).  No doubt this is going on in many campuses throughout the U.S. and most of the faculties and administrators probably have the same views as Professor Sragow. However, an educator’s job is to teach not preach and provide both sides of the issues, give a balanced view, and have students think and debate the issues and not be intimidated by their professor.

Since you reside over a California school, I’m sorry to say I don’t expect you to do anything about this, not even reprimand this jerk. However, most adults across American have viewed the utter deterioration of our educational institutions with graduates who know nothing about American values, little about our history, and lag many students in other countries. All they know is what’s wrong with America, not what is great about it.

While Mr. Sragow demeans all Republicans in your state, the rest of us view the collapse of your economy, your high unemployment rate, the abuse of your state pension system, and the mass exodus of people and companies from your state. California’s crime rate, uncontrollable tax rate, and your universities that are stocked with others that share Sragow’s views, all have contributed to your slide to bankruptcy and one of the lowest rated school systems in the country.  Maybe it’s because you don’t have enough of those “stupid” old white Republicans in office and have been controlled by that other party for too long.

As a former CEO and leader, I suggest that this situation merits some action on your part. There is no way you should tolerate this blatant display of academic incompetence.  That is your job, sir.

Very truly yours,

George P. Ahearn, Ph.D

Naples, Florida

The Rutgers Basketball Fiasco

Some of you may be aware that I am an alumni of Rutgers University having received a Master's and Ph.D degree there many years ago. The recent events there concerning the basketball coach has been very troubling to me, since the Athletic Director, Tim Pernetti, who had to resign because of this incident in view of the public relations fiasco that ensued. Mr. Pernetti has done a great job with the athletic program since he has been there bringing a winning football team that is now in the Big Ten conference starting with the 2013 season. Also, their ladies basketball program has also been among the top in the nation in recent years.

For years I have been courted by their alumni fundraising people for a major gift to the University. Some fundraiser staff have even visited me in Florida and I attended a gathering of Florida alums at the Ritz-Carlton sponsored by the University a few years ago. I eventually decided against awarding a gift to the school primarily on what I learned about the leftist political activities of the faculty and administrators and the large number of anti-American speakers that were invited to the school and the complete absence of the opposing view. In the past, I had made small gifts that were earmarked for the excellent chemistry and microbiological departments reseach programs.

Recent events at the school are symtomatic of what I learned about during my research and what is going on at many of our fine universities around this nation. So I recently wrote the following letter to Robert Constant, the young Alumni fundraiser staffer who had visted me several times in Florida:

Hi Robert:

 

I think you can see from the recent series of events at Rutgers, why I have been very reluctant to respond to your efforts at fundraising for the University. It is not only the political bent of the faculty and staff in their continuing support of leftist causes and Jihadist front organizations that sponsor speakers with anti-American and anti-Semitic views, but the utter ineptness of the administrators who now run the place.

 

 The fact that Tim Pernetti, the AD, has to fall on the sword for Dr. Barchi for not doing his job, is an embarrassment. Pernetti's resignation letter clearly conflicts with the President's version of events. Why Barchi maintained an arm's length attitude about the event when it originally occurred and didn't even view the video, is total incompetence and reflects on the trustees as well for poor judgement in the hiring of such people. The Penn State lesson surely illustrated that internal cover-ups never turn out well.

 

This house needs a complete overhaul with a more balanced political and academic viewpoint where political correctness is not the guiding force in making decisions about faculty, speakers, or HR issues. This is why I told you that I can no longer relate to this University anymore. I hope that Governor Christi takes an assertive role in bringing it back to what it used to be; a proud American university with faculty and administrators that support American values!

 

George

 

George Ahearn, MS, Ph.D.

Class of '59, '60

Naples, FL