Universities and the Military
how does your university tie in?

The University-Industrial-
Academic Complex:
Institutional and Interpersonal Links

University Profiles

Financial Incorporation

The financial incorporation of universities and military-industrial corporations is an institutional link that marries the well being of the university with that of the business. Financial incorporation goes beyond the tendency for universities to cultivate military priorities on campus in hopes of increasing the universityís prestige, and power. Financial incorporation chronically binds the money of both, with the advantage and decision making power still firm in the hands of the corporation.

A basic example of the financial integration of the university and military-industrial corporation is to be found when analyzing most university foundations. Nearly every college and university has a foundation that provides funding support for academic programs, scholarships, capital improvements, and general costs. Foundations are typically non-profit, public benefit corporations managed by university administrators and trustees.

The UC Santa Cruz Foundation, founded in 1974 has provided $75 million dollars in support to the campus through private gifts, corporate donations, and other foundations and non-profits. The trustees of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation for the most part have no military-industrial connections. The sole UCSC trustee connected with the military-industrial complex is Donald Worn, "a retired aerospace industry executive and design engineer. During his career, he worked for Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Sperry Gyroscope, Convair, and Pratt and Whitney Aircraft." It is not the interpersonal connections that make the UC Santa Cruz Foundation worthy of scrutiny. Rather it is the Foundations institutional links to weapons manufacturing corporations that consistently donate and support the university and the programs they benefit from in the form of future employees, and access to research results.

In addition to the scandalous funds from weapons manufacturers, UCSC also received gifts from Phillip Morris the tobacco giant, and the GAP corporation which has been doubly irresponsible for its use of sweatshop labor and role in the clear-cutting of old growth forests in Northern California. Military-industrial, and exploitative corporations donate money to many public and private colleges and universities throughout the US.

The University of California's system wide finances are incredibly entangled with weapons manufacturers. The UC's retirement plan portfolio is invested in dozens of military-industrial contractors through stock purchases. At least five corporations within the UC retirement portfolio conduct virtually no business other than weapons manufacturing and military subcontracting, these are: General Dynamics with a UC investment of $21,471,120, Northrop Grumman for $16,125,200, Raytheon for $ 16,818,200, TRW for $8,327,650, and Lockheed Martin for a staggering $33,046,370.

Interpersonal Links

Interpersonal links are usually more subtle because they are informal social relationships which can be hard to uncover, but they still facilitate a great deal of militarization and dominance over the university by corporate-military power. There is a gray area between interpersonal and institutional links when dealing with the university-military relationship. Some ties exhibit characteristics of both categories. One example is evident in a close look at University of California Regent Richard C. Blum. This connection is best categorized as interpersonal because it is ultimately the individual that creates the link between university and military-corporation entities. (Continued - Case Study: Richard Blum)

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