The College Fix

Mitch Daniels, the former Republican governor of Indiana, was, from the start, a controversial choice to lead Purdue University.

When he was chosen as president, the liberal faculty at the school balked, convulsed and moaned. And that was simply due to his conservative politics.

Now he’s set to teach a history course at Purdue this fall, and at least one professor from Indiana State University is whining that Daniels isn’t qualified to do that, either.

Daniels will teach “The Great War and its Continuing Aftermath.” The course description states in part:

How did a “civilized” world blunder into this disaster?  What were its effects, short and long term, on the societies that participated in the conflict?  What were the consequences of the war, and the peace treaty that ended it?  This course will examine these questions and more about “The War to End All Wars,” but didn’t.

Steven Stofferahn, a Purdue grad who lives in West Lafayette (where Purdue is located), is an associate professor of history at Indiana State University. He writes in an op-ed for The Lafayette Journal & Courier:

What actually qualifies Daniels to teach this class? Does he hold advanced degrees in modern European history or politics? Is he a published author in the field? Does he keep up with all relevant scholarship in English, French and German? How will one know whether what he has to say is original, insightful or even accurate? Do such qualifications no longer matter at a university, just as they no longer do when certifying K-12 teachers? …

Certainly a well-read person can speak intelligently on a topic of interest, but it takes a scholar to speak authoritatively. Accredited universities are in the business of ensuring that credentials (such as the degrees students earn at Purdue) actually mean something.

Professors across the state dislike Daniels immensely. Remember last year when they freaked out because he dared bash Howard Zinn, a controversial Marxist known to spew anti-American, anti-Western opinions in his history textbooks? The scholars ended up holding a Zinn Read-a-Thon in protest.

Truth be told, students who take Daniels’ World War I class will enjoy an honest, untainted assessment. Instead of the typical America bashfest, they might really learn some truths about America’s history, its wars, and global conflict.

It’s too bad Daniels couldn’t fit more teaching into his schedule.

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter