Friday, August 20, 2010

Another one bites the dust

"Another what?" you ask. Another university press. Today's Inside Higher Ed carries the story of the shuttering of Rice University's digital press because of budget constraints. How much did it cost to run it? Well, let's ask them:

Levy, the Andrew Hays Buchanan Professor of Astrophysics at Rice, said in an interview that the press was costing $150,000 to $200,000 a year.

<idle musing>
In other words, a drop in the university's budget. I'm sure the provost made a lot more than that, as does the athletic department's many coaches. But, cut the academic stuff! After all, as long as we have an administration and a sports program, we can pretend to be a school!

Maybe it's time that schools take a long look at why the exist; they should have a purpose statement somewhere. I'll bet it doesn't say anything about being financially profitable! But, schools are being run like businesses, with the resulting closure of "under-performing" departments. Scandalous! And, like businesses, the administrative wing is multiplying like rabbits...
</idle musing>

2 comments:

Mike Aubrey said...

But, schools are being run like businesses, with the resulting closure of "under-performing" departments. Scandalous! And, like businesses, the administrative wing is multiplying like rabbits...

And despite the business attitude, students (who pay thousands of dollars year semester) are yet to be treated like customers. Instead they're treated like cattle being moved through a factory.

Mike Aubrey said...

*a year each semester

oops.