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Monday, November 13, 2006

Another Reason Government Control
of Universities is a Terrible Idea



From the International Herald Tribune:

Vienna University Seeks to Expel Pro-Nazi Board Member

The supervisory board of Vienna's Medical University announced Monday that it wants to expel one of its members for a speech honoring a Nazi air force officer.

The board announced its decision after University Council Member Gerhard Pendl gave a eulogy for Nazi flying-ace Walter Nowotny on Sunday, a day roughly corresponding to his death. Nowotny, who shot down more than 250 planes in World War II, was killed by American pilots on November 8, 1944.

In his speech, Pendl said that it is "our duty to point out the mental scars (inflicted by) the do-gooders, who will also not leave the dead alone ... so that our innocent soldiers and their horrible deaths are not forgotten or even vilified," Austria Press Agency reported.

Pendl also called political opponents Red Army Faction sympathizers. The Red Army Faction was a radical left West German terrorist organization that abducted and killed several political and business figures.

The university said it would ask Education Minister Elisabeth Gehrer to fire Pendl within the next few days.

Pendl was installed as board member by Gehrer in 2003, despite the University's protests at the time that his glorification of National Socialism was widely known.


Who knows why the Education Minister insisted on a Nazi? But isn't the real problem the university's absolute lack of autonomy?


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Update:

Fine, fine! All you had to do was ask!



'Austria's education minister said Tuesday she planned to dismiss a supervisory board member at Vienna's Medical University for a speech honoring a Nazi air force officer.'