What Would an Ideal College Look Like? A Lot Like This

[frazzled]

13. I didn't say at all they weren't first rate

I said that many academics do not always want to move to out-of-the-way places, and I can confirm this from family members who have turned down positions at far more prestigious schools than this, for that reason. Often it's because of a spouse's or partner's needs or because of access to research facilities or cultural institutions.

And yes, I've worked with superior faculty members in Vermont, especially at Middlebury.

There are many other issues involved with tenure, including academic freedom and job security. It's all nice to talk about some little Eden, but in the real world colleges and universities will go for the cost-savings, and this is happening extensively. Professors are not unionized, and the tenure system is all the protection they have.

And yes, I read the part about the liberal arts. But it's an oxymoron to claim to value such education at the same time as making everyone "immediately employable."

There are many different kinds of higher education formats, this being one. We also need large research universities. We also need the state land-grant schools that employ and educate tens of thousands.

I hope the use of the term "slimy" made your day. Ugly, ugly.