Professors oppose transparency. Or, at least, this is what might be concluded from opposition to a new "transparency law" in Texas. The law requires "universities... to post professors' syllabi, curriculum vitae, published works and salaries. Attendance costs and departmental budget reports also must be posted." Brian Leiter says, "this new law has one and only one purpose: to make it easier for right-wing crazies and ignoramuses to target and harass faculty." That may be true, It doesn't make it a bad law, though. What does make it a bad law is that it is aimed at state institutions only. I'd like to see transparency applied across the board. I'd like to know what private schools teach, and what it costs them. I'd also like clear reporting of corporate and executive salaries, the contents of the reports and analyses they send each other, holdings, subsidiaries, and agreements and cartels with other corporations. Once we have this information, we can make an informed decision on how overpaid and underqualified professors are, and how well public institutions compare with their private counterparts.
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