> I am of the age where more and more aspects of society become laid bare, I'm a bit slower than most. So I'm not sure if higher ed was always this nakedly bank

> I am of the age where more and more aspects of society become laid bare, I'm a bit slower than most. So I'm not sure if higher ed was always this nakedly bankrupt due to bad incentives, or if it has genuinely degraded substantially. Maybe it's neither; you're assuming the degradation is not a matter of perception, but some underlying reality. Cui bono - who benefits from that perception? It seems to me, the same people who benefit from destroying every institution that stands in their way - education, all scholarship, government, journalism, etc. In fact, if we apply the tools we learn in higher education, IMHO the situation is clearly a matter of perception. (All human institutions are flawed; a common approach of sophists is just to find the flaws in the institution they want to tear down.)