Dear Colleagues,

Universities in North America - and worldwide - are forcibly "transformed" to business corporations by people who have overwhelming financial clout but very little understanding of the learning process, the arts, sciences, the real significance of the university for the future of both society and our planet. Education is not a business, students are not consumers, but they are our next generation. The business model harms this next generation through a deterioration of the learning environment and a corruption of the learning spirit. Disinterested, curiosity-driven search for both intellectual and emotional enrichment of human societies (currently are teethering on the brink of unthinkable loss of spirit) is in mortal danger by the irresponsibility of those no one elected to lead but who nonetheless lead by power. Essential academic freedom, reserach values are undermined by totally uninformed administrative decisions based on the bottom line, noting else. Quality ceased to matter, only mass and dollar revenues matter. In this atmmosphere of cynicism and rot, we here at the University of Saskatchewan root for you and carefully follow your brave stand up to coercion. We wish you a well-deserved success in Brandon, which we hope to show the way elsewhere. With warmest regards,

Gyula Csapó

Full Professor, Composition and Music Theory

Department of Music

University of Saskatchewan