It's not the reference to philosophy and the classics I meant - it's actually the decline of academics in general in favor of Reality College, and it's not new.

It's not the reference to philosophy and the classics I meant - it's actually the decline of academics in general in favor of Reality College, and it's not new. I regard the specific mention of philosophy and the classics as a sort of fusty stand-in for all the other academics. Add to that the "running the university like a business" - which generally means jacking up CEO pay into the stratosphere while cranking the productivity screws on adjuncts and raising prices for the customers (which in an earlier world were "students") - and you have the recipe for the ruination of the university, just as you have the recipe for the ruination of everything else American corporatism touches. These programs are sold as advertising - which is insane. Seriously. If you want to compete for students, then make sure your students have fulfilling and/or lucrative careers (whichever your students are optimizing for) - don't sell them on which college is fun. You do that, you're not going to get quality students - and that means low-quality end product, a failing reputation in the job market, and you'll end up having to pay even more for a president who says he can fix it all. Wash, rinse, and repeat.