Academic Capitalism

Although not about parenthood, we need to concern ourselves (as academics) with the rise of academic capitalism. A recent article in the NYTimes paints a sad picture for the humanities. One of my favorite exerts:

What is happening in traditional universities where the ethos of the liberal arts is still given lip service is the forthright policy of for-profit universities, which make no pretense of valuing what used to be called the “higher learning.” John Sperling, founder of the group that gave us Phoenix University, is refreshingly blunt: “Coming here is not a rite of passage. We are not trying to develop value systems or go in for that ‘expand their minds’” nonsense.