"Teaching is an afterthought in the process. "
This is true even in fields where there is very little to publish and excellant teaching skills can be a huge benefit to the students.
This is another system that is broken.
The system does not attract the best and brightest as a rule anymore, imho....
IU used to be pretty conservative for a Big Ten institution, until Myles Brand arrived in town from Oregon. He's the one who fired Bob Knight. The school hasn't been the same since. Michael Ledeen wrote a great story about it several years ago, writing how Brand fired Knight essentially to mask his failure as president. Now Knight goes to the Sweet 16 with Texas Tech. Screw IU.
The best and the brightest are leaving academics which leaves me to wonder who is doing the teaching?