University Against Itself

Monika Krause is a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at New York University. Mary Nolan is professor of history at New York University.Michael Palm is completing his PhD in the American Studies program at NYU. Andrew Ross is Professor of American Studies in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, New York University and author of Fast Boat To China, Low Pay, High Profile, and No-Collar.

• The University Against Itself:The NYU Strike and the Future of the Academic Workplace    Edited by Monika Krause, Mary Nolan, Michael Palm and Andrew RossTable of ContentsIntroductionPart I:  Corporate University?Ashley Dawson and Penny Lewis, NYC: Academic Labor Town? Ellen Schrecker, Academic Freedom in the Age of CasualizationMary Nolan,  A Leadership University for the Twenty-first Century? Corporate Administration, Contingent labor, and the Erosion of Faculty RightsChristopher Newfield and Greg Grandin,  Building a Statue of Smoke:  The NYU Trustees, Finance Culture, and the Demotion of Intellectual LaborStephen Duncombe and Sarah Nash,   ICE From the Ashes of FIRE: NYU and the Economy of Culture in New York CityAdam Green, The High Cost of Learning:  Tuition, Educational Aid, and the New Economics of Prestige in Higher EducationMicki McGee, Blue Team, Gray Team: Some Varieties of the Contingent Faculty ExperiencePart II:  GSOC StrikeUnions at NYU, 1971-2007Susan Valentine, The Administration Strikes Back: Union Busting at NYUSteve Fletcher, “Bad News for Academic Labor? Lessons in Media Strategy from the GSOC StrikeMaggie Clinton, Miabi Chatterji, Sherene Seikaly, Natasha Lightfoot,  Naomi Schiller,  “If Not Now, When?  Lessons Learned from GSOC's 2005-6 Strike”Jeff Goodwin,  faculty  Andrew Cornell,  Undergraduate Participation in Campus Labor Coalitions: Lessons from the NYU StrikeMatthew Osypowski (with Adam Graham Silverman), Operation Class-movePart III:  Lessons for the FutureThe State of the Academic Labor Movement: A Roundtable with Stanley Aronowitz,  Barbara Bowen and Ed Ott, Moderated by Kitty KrupatAndrew Ross,  Global UMonika Krause, and Michael Palm, Activists into organizers! How to Work with Your Colleagues and Build Power in Graduate School Gordon Lafer , Sorely Needed: A Corporate Campaign for the Corporate UniversityCary Nelson, Graduate Employee Unionization and the Future of Academic Labor

"It studies NYU specifically and universities in general, offering a solid reassessment of corporate growth in higher education, while exploring how to fight for better universities through collective action. Blessedly free of jargon and unforgiving in its critique, this book speaks powerfully to any faculty member interested in retaining academic freedom, shared governance, dignity on the job, or just the job itself... thought-provoking." Academe "[A] set of thoughtful reflections by strike proponents about the corporate university... The University Against Itself is at its best precisely when the authors capture the continuing tension between the academic and corporate characteristics of the emerging corporate academy." The Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Jan 2009 "Although these are not the first labor or social movement examinations to generate predictive analyses, existing literatures remain relatively sparse, and therefore, these pieces constitute a welcome addition to a growing body of work, particularly in terms of expanding research in the areas of movement repertoire and tactical innovation. In sum, I highly recommend this thoughtfully organized and well-written volume for the relevant conversations it includes as well as the ones it will inspire for people interested in the labor movement and/or higher education." - Contemporary Sociology January 2010