Editor,
In a recent “communique” Provost Chaouki Abdallah asked, “What will the American university look like in 2025?”
Well, it will be far too expensive for the average American, unless he is an athlete, and administrations will be much larger and modeled after corporations and make even more money than the faculty and staff.
Athletics will consume a far larger share of the resources, especially the salaries of coaches, while facilities will become more and more exclusive and out of the reach of students. Administrative policy will be increasingly aimed at producing a more homogeneous and compliant student body, which will be even less prepared because of the need to increase enrollments.
Tenure will become increasingly fragile, and the vast majority of the faculty will be part time. Curriculum will be increasingly influenced by donors and politicians and directed toward satisfying economic and practical needs and avoiding conflict, and any faculty criticism of the institution will be considered a contribution to a “hostile learning environment” and unprofessional behavior.
Corporate money and advertising will be everywhere, and there will be a Starbucks in every building on campus.
Sincerely,
Richard M. Berthold
Former Lobo columnist and faculty
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