2008 Woodie Awards
Universities reject funding from tobacco companies
Lauren Newmyer
Issue date: 2/16/08 Section: World
"Just because it's green, we don't have to take it," said Paula Murray, associate dean at the University of Texas' McCombs School of Business, to The New York Times.
Murray was referring to her school's recent decision to cut off all funding from Philip Morris, a cigarette manufacturer that has donated over $308,500 to business schools like McCombs since 1989.
The University of Texas (UT) is just one of the many universities across the United States that have recently deemed contributions from tobacco companies "tainted." On ethical grounds, these schools have decided to ban tobacco companies from funding university development and research.
Philip Morris, which has partnered with UT for many years, had been pressing for a more active role in the McCombs community. Although they already had a program set up to recruit business students as employees, they had asked for more interaction with the students.
In December, the McCombs School decided to ban funding for student organizations and faculty research from companies that manufacture cigarettes.
"What it came down to for us was the ethical dimension," said Dean of the McCombs School of Business George W. Gau, to The New York Times. "The leadership of the school felt that in some sense it was tainted money, that it is money gotten from a product that is significantly harming people."
Other schools that have banned cigarette company funds include the University of North Carolina, the Universities of Iowa and Arizona, Louisiana State, Emory, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Ohio State.
At Stanford, a ban on contributions from cigarette companies was considered, but the idea was dropped after numerous protests from faculty researchers who feared they would not be able to support their research without those funds.
Robert Tisch, late chairman of the Loews Corporation, which produces five brands of cigarettes, including Newport, donated $10 million to fund cancer research at Duke University in 2006.
Murray was referring to her school's recent decision to cut off all funding from Philip Morris, a cigarette manufacturer that has donated over $308,500 to business schools like McCombs since 1989.
The University of Texas (UT) is just one of the many universities across the United States that have recently deemed contributions from tobacco companies "tainted." On ethical grounds, these schools have decided to ban tobacco companies from funding university development and research.
Philip Morris, which has partnered with UT for many years, had been pressing for a more active role in the McCombs community. Although they already had a program set up to recruit business students as employees, they had asked for more interaction with the students.
In December, the McCombs School decided to ban funding for student organizations and faculty research from companies that manufacture cigarettes.
"What it came down to for us was the ethical dimension," said Dean of the McCombs School of Business George W. Gau, to The New York Times. "The leadership of the school felt that in some sense it was tainted money, that it is money gotten from a product that is significantly harming people."
Other schools that have banned cigarette company funds include the University of North Carolina, the Universities of Iowa and Arizona, Louisiana State, Emory, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Ohio State.
At Stanford, a ban on contributions from cigarette companies was considered, but the idea was dropped after numerous protests from faculty researchers who feared they would not be able to support their research without those funds.
Robert Tisch, late chairman of the Loews Corporation, which produces five brands of cigarettes, including Newport, donated $10 million to fund cancer research at Duke University in 2006.
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