Opinion: University’s Deal With Donor Raises Questions About Influence-Buying

The University of Toronto’s agreement with a billionaire donor who helped finance its school of international studies raises questions about influence-buying and institutional independence, says a columnist for The Globe and Mail.

Gerald Caplan cites clauses in the university’s November 2009 agreement with the mining magnate Peter Munk’s foundation requiring the head of the Munk-financed School of Global Affairs to report annually to the foundation and meet with its directors about the school’s “program initiatives and activities.”

The pact also makes future financial support contingent on the university meeting assigned objectives, as determined by the donor, and directs the school to limit public access to a side entrance.

Mr. Caplan asks whether, in light of the agreement, the university would be “likely to initiate a major project on the operations of Canadian mines in poor countries” or might bow to Mr. Munk in matters of curriculum and hiring at the global-affairs school.