Margaret Soltan Comments on the Shkreli Case for Newsweek

ByGWEnglish

GW English Professor Margaret Soltan has provided some commentary for Newsweek on the Martin Shkreli case.  Shkreli gained notoriety this year for dramatically increasing prices (by more than 5,000 percent) on life-saving drugs one his pharmaceutical company gained the license to those drugs.  Shkreli is now facing criminal charges related to fraud and tried to defend himself by talking about the supposed millions that he has donated to charity.  At least one charity has indicated it will return any money Shkreli donated.

Hunter College, where Shkreli was a student, has come under particular scrutiny.  Parents and alums of the school, which received $1 million from Shkreli, have urged the school to return the money.  They have opened a Crowdrise page (a platform that allows for donations and raises awareness) and their intent is to convince Hunter to reconsider its acceptance of the gift.

Newsweek reports:

‘Margaret Soltan, a George Washington University professor who gave Hunter $75 through Crowdrise on Friday, said schools should stand up to people who behave badly by returning their money. She is not connected to Hunter but blogs on education topics.
Keeping the money “just makes you look cynical. It makes you look mercenary and immoral,” Soltan said.’

You can read the whole article here.  And follow Margaret Soltan’s ongoing blogs on higher education here.

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