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The real problem is that over the last forty years universities have been forced to expand their academic programs to include non scholarly political nonsense such as women’s studies, ethnic studies and LBGT programs. The faculties include shrieking, often illiterate politicos that are not scholars and are disruptive to the true mission of a Western university. Their departments “teach” unqualified students who don’t belong at a university dedicated to education and research.
Doesn’t sound like he points to the #1 issue—which is taxpayer provided and guaranteed student grants and loans.
Community college is just fine for 3/4s of those who can’t afford college on their own. And the other 1/4 do 2 years of an economical community college before transferring all the credit to the associated state college system—and then move along from there.
No need for loans other than the students and professions that are credit worthy—and thus can be funded by the private sector.
There was a time when Universities embraced debate of opposing ideas, opposing opinions, to hone critical thinking skills. I see a complete rejection of that now. No one wants to see a different way of thinking. Must have conformity.
At worst, it produces graduates without the requisite skills needed to add to the overall knowledge of mankind yet brimming with the latest Utopian folderal meted out by the powers-that-be to preserve and enhance their powers.
From Kindergarten through Graduate School, defund it and sell the physical plants to the private market and use the windfall to rebuild our infrastructure.
When he retired, there were DOZENS of assistant, deputy, associate, etc. provosts in the provost office. The assistant assigned to his area could approve nothing. His only course of action was "to call a meeting". The process of approvals went from immediate, to months. Meanwhile, the college itself, had no more actual students than when he started. In addition, many of these assistant bureaucrats earned more money than the professors actually teaching students.
Tuition, of course sky rocketed. At the time, I had graduated from a similar university in a different state. I had earned my own way to a degree working in a co-op program where I would alternate between working and education sessions. The same program today earns students only a small fraction of the cost of tuition and housing. The cost of the bureaucracies is a major part of this problem.
If tenure was such a great idea every industry would have it.