Universities didn’t always have power-house fundraising foundations supporting them - they came into popularity in the Reagan-era economy when government drastically cut higher education funding, so more and more schools had to turn to private donors.
Today, foundations - like the one at UConn - have moved to center stage in the search for higher education dollars. But, if a foundation is raising money for a public university, should it make its records open to freedom of information laws? Some lawmakers think yes.
This hour, we’ll listen back on a panel sponsored by the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government and WNPR -- about what information the UConn Foundation should make public. New legislation is pushing for transparency, and after years itlooks like a compromise between legislators and the foundation is possible.
GUESTS:
- Alexa Capeloto - Assistant Professor of Journalism at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Author of several paperson university foundations and freedom of information
- Derek Slap - Associate Vice President of External Relations at the UConn Foundation
- Michael McLachlan - Republican State Senator serving the 24th district
- Dan Toscano - Chair of the UConn Foundation board of directors, foundation donor
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Lydia Brown and John Dankosky contributed to this program.
Listen to the unedited panel discussion: