The University of Wisconsin-Madison has defended a professor’s $219 purchase of the complete set of the 1960s series “Get Smart” as appropriate.
The Legislative Audit Bureau discovered the purchase of the 25-DVD set by a business professor during a review of credit card spending.
Auditors also wanted explanations for the professor’s purchase of seasons of “The Love Boat” and “Family Ties.” The professor, whose name was redacted from records, spent more so all three could be shipped overnight.
In an internal e-mail, the professor said clips from the shows would be used “to illustrate aspects of business and management” in his class.
UW-Madison called the purchases a “best judgment” and said the DVDs would be used for years, so purchasing instead of renting them made sense.
October 6th, 2009 at 7:12AM
"Get Smart" I can understand.
"The Love Boat"?–not unless he is a prof. of leisure studies.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:55AM
These are the sorts of purchases that are more appropriate for the library to make, not an individual professor or a specific department.
And the overnight delivery charge is just obnoxious.
Also: aren’t business profs usually ridiculously well-paid? Why didn’t he buy these for his own personal collection (thus using his own money) and just use those short clips as needed WITHOUT needing to be reimbursed?
I just keep thinking of all the adjuncts I know who paid for their own photocopying…
October 6th, 2009 at 11:44AM
I agree with the Professor. Get Smart passes my audit, but the Love Boat? Gopher and Julie do not compare favorably with Max and 99, no matter how you look at it…
Yes we business profs are indeed ridiculously well-paid. It’s due in part to a concept called supply and demand, which even those in the arts and humanities can’t suspend completely, although they try mightily. If departments in the arts and humanities would stop churning out hundreds of PhDs that have no hope of ever securing full-time tenure track employment, salaries in the arts would likely rise to the ranks of the ridiculously well paid too. Gotta go spend my signing bonus and pick up my new car!
October 6th, 2009 at 11:47AM
…as a quick follow up… $219 for the whole Get Smart series? THAT’s value for money!
October 7th, 2009 at 5:54PM
Hey, Isaac Washington, the Love Boat’s bartender, had a great deal of insight to offer about customer relationship management.