My latest in the Pierre Capital Journal is here. A snippet:
We must remember, though, that those who run higher education are not the faculty, but the administrators. Ambitious administrators don’t make their mark by creating a great environment for learning. They make their mark by erecting new buildings, having successful sports teams and securing large research grants. All of this, it should be noted, represents money spent on things only tangentially related to actually educating anyone.
Schools tend to emphasize what is now called the “co-curricular.” This includes things such as how good the student gym is, how nice the dorms are, how many student clubs are there, and which comedians come to campus. Actual education of students takes a back seat. Another thing that drives administrators is enrollment numbers. Higher enrollment is always good and administrators assume that students make their school choice more on what is entertaining than what is educational.
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