The Military/Educational Complex

Interesting study that points out what I've suspected: a growing reliance on defense contracts for funding of higher education:

When President Dwight Eisenhower gave his prophetic January 1961 farewell speech warning of the growth of “unwarranted influence” on universities and government by the defense industry, relatively few universities had Department of Defense contracts. As of December 2006, 1,107 universities had DoD contracts, including 161 in 33 other countries. 

The 900% growth of Department of Defense research and development, test and evaluation (RDTE defense-applied research) prime contracts as reported from fiscal years 2000 through 2006 caps a 60-year trend of expanding ties between the defense industry and institutes of higher education. 

Although the number of assistance contracts remained largely constant during this period, a 900% rise in RDTE defense-applied research contracts and total dollars to universities occurred. Total dollar amounts awarded to schools rose from $4.4 billion in 2000 to $46.7 billion in 2006. The total number of DoD RDTE defense-applied research contracts to schools rose from 5,887 in 2000 to 52,667 in 2006 (table below). 

So when one asks an expert who works for a university his/her opinion of  the 9/11 Truth Movement, will he/she be wondering what effect his/her answer will have on future funding for his/her department? 

UPDATE:  It's interesting that the lion's share of the increase in defense contracts came in 2006.