Microsoft's Reach in Higher Education

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

>From the April 24, 1998 Chronical of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/free/v44/i33/microsoft.htm

In this special report, The Chronicle examines
Microsoft's growing role on America's campuses:

As the company moves to sell colleges on its
comprehensive approach to software packaging,
campus critics question some of its marketing tactics.

Microsoft gives away millions of dollars in software,
but its largesse has led to a debate over whether it is
engaged in generous philanthropy or shrewd
marketing.

For $10,000 annual stipends, some of the leading
experts on campus-computing issues provide advice
to Microsoft.

Microsoft pays some professors $200 each for
mentioning or using the company's programming tools
in their presentations.

Microsoft is attracting top computer-science scholars
to its basic-research arm by offering them unlimited
funds and an open agenda.

Microsoft's acquisition of intellectual property has
some colleges wondering if the software giant will
some day be competing with them directly, by
offering courses.

Is Microsoft's headquarters a campus or just an
office park?