I think another issue is a broader philosophical shift in how people view higher education. It's no longer a higher level of education really; it's positioned a

I think another issue is a broader philosophical shift in how people view higher education. It's no longer a higher level of education really; it's positioned as a skills certifier, accreditor, and early career trainer. The role of education in the classical liberal sense as humanistic enlightenment is no longer the focus of higher-ed. Research is secondary to pushing students through degree calendars as fast as possible. They're more like private hotels of late-teens to twenty year olds before they enter the workforce. Most students are not viewed as adults, but as pseudo adolescents under the institutions care, so everything but the core education services inflate to service and meets those demands.