Professor tag 'wasted on pollies', says Phil Honeywood

Can you imagine Gillard teaching students how to be a Communist, indoctrinating them not to get married because married women are no better than prostitutes, but it's OK to have affairs with married men because when you are an Atheist you don't have to worry about breaking the Commandment "thou shall not commit adultery" and then of course "thou shall not steal" or help your boyfriend steal! And of course you can teach how to tell lies with a straight face and dodge questions about your dodgy dealings as a lawyer and then shriek at decent people calling them a misogynist when you know they are not and then take on a career as a teacher in a Uni when you know you are under investigation by police! What a joke!

I have little time for some of the pompous asses that dwell in the ethereal nether worlds of academia but at least they have earned their right to be members of that elite clan.
Whilst some Politicians may have some claim to practical experience in public administration they dont have he same gravitas. Yet, as the list indicates, the list of status seekers grow and will continue to do so...there is one particularly tubby hopeful Puppy who claims the honorific/sobriquet 'Professor'. He is not mentioned, probably because the counting for his seat has not been finalised, but I consider very unworthy of the title.

In the old days, people with unearned professorships were called 'Honorary Professor', and there was no salary attached. (Maybe there was a small stipend to cover the expenses of attending University Council meetings and other functions). I wonder if, nowadays, politicians awarded with the nomenclature of 'Professor' receive a salary from their sponsoring University. Otherwise why not stick to the traditional 'Honorary' tag?

Who would have thought that it would take a former Labor(sic) politician to give faux-academia a purpose in life - as an alternative to the prison-house, as a sheltered workshop for retired Labor parliamentary crooks.

Those who can, DO. Those who can't, teach. And corrupt Labor pollies, use taxpayers' funds to buy themselves imitation 'professorships' from third-rate academic institutions.

....and ex premier Beattie has five (yes 5) honorary doctorates. Says a lot about the convoluted values in academia!

KZ

The Australian is spot on. One wonders how they have the gall to take these "appointments" and how low the universities have sunk to award them to these academically deficient people.

Of real concern is that while Professor Gillard was advancing the "Education Revolution" as Minister and Prime Minister for the past 7 years, a COAG committee has found 27% of young people aged between 17-24 are neither working or studying.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-30/study-work-fulltime-australians-youth-unemployment/5056224

This is a recipe for absolute disaster for the crime, poverty and social unrest that will follow. Here comes the perfect storm of social dysfunction that will result in more crime, more fear and more need for repressive police action.

While the ALP and its union cronies have been stealing and feathering their own nests and supping champagne their constituency has been consigned to the garbage heap. Gillard has been exposed as a hollow incompetent, "wacko" liar.

For all time they will be branded by the likes of Carr and his "special comfort requests" whilst Foreign Minister. Long may these despicable people live in infamy and disgrace. Let us not forget Obeid, Thomson and the Victorian ALP water grantsters.

The new leader, Shorten, typifies the ugly face of the union dominated ALP as a person whose physical attributes and mannerisms turn him into a caricature of the sleazy, greedy grasping politician that we are becoming used to. They get worse as one rummages through the caucus.

There may be a lesson in the tragedy of the ALP for the coalition as well.

I do believe those of the left or of the Gillard variety do like to put label's on things to make them feel like they are important without having to had achieved anything of great importance beforehand.

Michael - two university professors sitting stark naked on a sunny balcony, discussing life, philosophy and the world in general.

Professor no.1: "Have you read Marx?"

Professor no.2: "Sure have. This cane furniture is murder!"

I thought the same thing - I wonder how much he paid for his. At least he didn't use our money!

Michael - awarding honorary professorships and honorary doctorates to selected retired politicians is always going to be contentious. People will inevitably argue about whether recipients are, or are not, deserving of the award. And so, I would like to suggest an alternative scheme - a scheme that would generate far less debate.

On leaving office (via retirement or via election loss) and provided they have been in office for at least five years, EVERY ex-politician will be awarded an honorary doctorate AND an honorary professorship from the university closest to his/her place of residence.

Ex-politicians who have served in office for less than five years can choose between being awarded an honorary Masters degree or an honorary associate professorship.

Honorary doctorates and honorary professorships would thus become normal perks of office - much like gold travel passes or Cab Charge vouchers. These perks would become so prevalent (and so debased status-wise) that people would then recognise them for the worthless artefacts they are, and not give them a second thought.

And for those persons who might be a little confused about the difference between a professor and an associate professor, it's quite simple - a professor has higher status and possesses a "chair" in something or other. An associate professor, on the other hand, has lesser status, and would not possess a "chair" as these are reserved only for professors. Although it is possible that an associate professor might possess a "lesser" piece of furniture such as a " foot stool".

Until the calamitous ALP Dawkins reforms each university department (usually) comprised a Professor, a Reader(s), Senior Lecturers, Lecturers and Tutors. A professor headed the department and the remainder, in varying numbers, were the main teaching staff. Chairs were few and the holders usually prestigious people. Readers were prestigious but not quite the "God- Professor" as they were sometimes called.

A few academics were awarded "Personal Chairs" based on outstanding service as a member of a university department, and these were scarce.

Now every politician seems to wants the title. I am not sure when the "Honorary" and "Adjunct" rot set in but this seems to be a method of attracting some cheap labour from professionals (lawyers, medicos etc), and "names" to hopefully attract funds and the like.

The Adelaide Uni Gillard experiment would be directed at the slush funds/ taxpayer money able to accessed or rorted by Ludwig, Shorten, Howes and O'Connor of the CFMEU.

The status of a University professor has like everything the ALP touches been devalued and trashed.

Remember Professor Tim Flannery? Now, there is the grotesque appointment of the man who made Eddie Obeid to Sydney University: Professor Bob Carr; teaching no doubt a course in Ethics in Government.

What absolute nonsense.

I understand that the University of Adelaide has a $100 million "stool".

Inflation is a killer.

Once upon a time, it took a mere 30 pieces of silver to tempt somebody to sell their soul. In Adelaide these days, the going price is 100 large.

You might be mistaken here, JG. As a university academic myself, I often find myself having to defend the colleagues I work with. Why, only the other day, someone suggested to me that university professors don't have the brains of a donkey. But I stood up for professors and said that they did!