The academic job market, especially in liberal arts, has experienced the downward 'hockey-stick' phenomenon.
Too many scholars, sporting PhD's, or at the fabled 'ABD' point, are chasing too few jobs. It's simply the terrible math at work right now. One of OS's acquaintances has been caught in the squeeze, losing a very good job in spite of doing an admirable job in that particular university department. Glowing peer reviews, and the job is gone, 'cuz the money's gone.
Endowments are essential for universities, but (a.) they must be able to preserve capital base, and (b.) actually earn a return, so cash can be made available to the institution. When ZB decided to peg interest rates at ZERO, in order to float the housing market, and give his friends on Wall Street free money to play with, he wasn't thinking of what might happen to the other parts of the culture. Like he cares...(har-rumph!)
But, that being said, things are as they are, and a lot of academics will have to formulate a Plan B.
This author reminds us that that's really not so bad, and perhaps, the academic life is not that prestigious and lovely, after all.
There is life off campus. Lots of it. And lots of people in need of what lies between the ears of the educated people. The business challenge is how to connect one set of people with the other, and make it pay off for all concerned; without the ***!!!*** guv'mint inserting its silly self into the process. They've done quite enough already, thanks.
This is America. There has to be a way; or rather, a bunch of ways to skin this particular feline.
OS recently took a tour of the neighborhoods near his alma mater, a large public urban research university. He was shocked by the experience. Four blocks away, and light years of cultural separation between the institution and its surroundings. It felt like being on a different planet.
Now, the university has unveiled plans to solve the problem, by condemning and razing the neighborhoods, and building more university facilities in their place. Spending taxpayer money, or money raised with taxpayer guarantees, of course.
Hmmm...that should solve the problem.
Maybe it's a good time to be moving off campus, after all.
1 comment:
Change the buildings all you want but in my opinion, if you don't change the people, you are ultimately spinning your wheels. My own opinion - A good environment helps but in the end true change starts from within each individual. Jeff
Post a Comment