One one hand I get academia and on the other hand I don't. They might argue because it's computer science there should an emphasis on theory over the practice.

One one hand I get academia and on the other hand I don't. They might argue because it's computer science there should an emphasis on theory over the practice. And while the practice (individual technologies and languages) change rapidly, the concepts moreorless stay the same. There are also software engineering and informatics majors that bring in more practice. On the other hand, most employers want kids from the "hard" disciplines. And academia knows this and actively promotes themselves based on these metrics. So why not be a little forward thinking and integrate more practical skills into the curriculum like version control, more team projects, more practice with web development, etc? The whole holier-than-thou mentality that you reference is immature and has got to go.