I went to a small college that actively avoided the “standard model.” They focused on providing high equality undergraduate education. No sports, research req

I went to a small college that actively avoided the “standard model.” They focused on providing high equality undergraduate education. No sports, research requirements, etc. They found they could easily recruit junior faculty, but as the faculty got experience, they “cashed out” for a better position. The “standard model” is hard to deviate from. Some schools do it, but it requires a large endowment, and there’s a gravitational pull towards sports teams and research grants.