College Presidents are the New Captains of the Titanic
Higher education hit the iceberg of reality quite a while ago, but as Benjamin Ginsberg of Minding the Campus points out below, many of the captains are still unaware of the situation.
College Presidents—New Captains of the Titanic
After the Titanic struck the iceberg, the ship’s captain and senior executives were said to be unworried. How could their mighty ship sink? The hubris and arrogance of the ship’s captain and senior officers was astonishing. They seemed to believe that because they were handsomely recompensed, resplendent in their uniforms and saluted by their toadies, their little world would never end. While the passengers and lowly crew members were beginning to panic, the officers urged them to remain calm.
They were confident that the ship was unsinkable and on course. The dining rooms remained open and the ship’s orchestra played on to soothe the foolish passengers and crew who prattled about an utterly impossible impending disaster. Unfortunately, more than a century later, the good ship Titanic remains at the bottom of the ocean. Some of her passengers survived but 1500 did not, victims of the captain’s decision to maintain course and steam full speed ahead despite numerous warnings from experienced crew members that there were icebergs in the vicinity.
The Titanic came to mind as I scanned the results of a 2014 survey of college presidents recently published in the Chronicle of Higher Education under the title, “The Innovative University: What College Presidents Think About Change in American Higher Education.” According to the survey, the great majority of college presidents believe that American higher education is heading in the right direction, that cost-cutting should not be a major focus and that they are providing excellent value for students.
These college presidents appear to believe that their good ship is on course and can continue steaming full speed ahead. And, why shouldn’t our captains of erudition have a rosy view? Many are lavishly compensated, expensively dressed and coifed, and surrounded by legions of deanlets and toadies who always agree with them.
Comments
They got too greedy and too big got their breeches! If only they had focused on academic excellence instead of having a country club atmosphere and hosting useless majors while jacking up the prices for those useless majors. They have fed into the “I deserve it” culture instead of promoting a work ethic employers would value. Well now it will suck to be you. Nothing like looking for work in this economy. By the by, exactly who trained all those economists who have created our current dismal economy?
The lack of self-awareness among these people is mind boggling. My daughter graduated from a certain Ivy League institution in which the tradition is that only the President of the University speaks. In his remarks, while listing the challenges that the graduates would face, he included “income inequality.” Well, if he really wanted to address that issue, he might consider cutting his $2,000,000 salary by 3/4 and distributing it as raises among the non-faculty staff without whom the freakin’ institution could not operate. These, of course, are the same people who will complain that CEOs of companies that actually produce something worthwhile are paid too much in relation to their employees.
The Titanic analogy is apropos. When I went to college in the 60’s, tuition was $50 per semester. People could work their way through college. Now, the expense is astronomical and the product is tainted by politics and incompetence. Sooner or later, students will see that they have been cheated and left with a large debt by progressive charlatans. The administrators and boards are not capable enough to see what is coming – disaster.
The administrators and boards see exactly what is coming. They are going to duck, dodge deny and ride the gravy train until it derails. Eventually, over the next decade or so, colleges will revert to their former selves, where there are just enough instructors and admin staff (who earn appropriate salaries-no tenure)to function, students will be required to actually study and earn a degree and the lavish living conditions will disappear.
You really don’t understand Democrats, do you.
You are completely wrong.
They are going to continue on exactly as they have been doing. When they finally can’t sustain it anymore, they are going to demand a bailout from the government.