The story, you may recall, is not entirely new. Koch's foundation has been funneling money to the economics department at FSU since 2008. This would be the same Koch who funds ultraconservative think tanks and preaches less government regulation.
The relationship at FSU drew howls of protest in 2011 when a couple of professors uncovered a memorandum that indicated Koch could wield considerable influence over the hiring of professors and some of the curriculum in economics classes.
FSU officials initially denied he had that type of power on campus, but a Faculty Senate review determined the agreement with Koch had several troublesome features. The school vowed to fix the agreement and the story soon disappeared from the headlines.
Except Wilson and other students kept bugging the school about the revised agreement. When they finally saw it, they discovered Koch's influence was not entirely neutered, and they wrote an op-ed in the Tallahassee Democrat voicing their concerns.
One big issue: that Koch still has indirect veto power on some faculty hiring.
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Tyson said the biggest change in the new agreement was ensuring the faculty has final say over the curriculum. Others, however, are worried about Koch's role in the hiring of professors.
The economics department will continue to follow the university's normal hiring procedures and will be free to hire anyone it sees fit. Once the offer has been made, however, Koch will be allowed to pull the funding if he is not happy with FSU's choice. If that happens, the school will then be on the hook for that professor's salary.
While it is not a direct veto, it does give FSU a strong incentive to recruit professors who agree with Koch's free market ideas.
Column: Some fear Charles Koch's influence damages FSU's integrity | Tampa Bay Times
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