Well this is silly. Stanford graduation rates have been increasing over the past 10 years: (http://ucomm.stanford.edu/cds/2012 http://ucomm.stanford.edu/cds/201

Well this is silly. Stanford graduation rates have been increasing over the past 10 years: (http://ucomm.stanford.edu/cds/2012 http://ucomm.stanford.edu/cds/2012 - search for point B11). 1998-2003 were all in the 90-93% range. This last year had a graduation rate of 95%. This doesn't support the opinion that students are dropping out 'en masse.' As for "professors having a financial stake in their student's work" – since when was this not the case? Professors have been dependent on grant money based on the work of their student researchers for decades; only previously, the students had no way of making money off of the work themselves. I do think that it would be good to establish and maintain a set of ethics for professors who have a financial stake in companies, but it seems like this piece was more of a ranting projection built for page views than a thoughtful criticism on the state of the university. Edit: And I should have researched a little more: Stanford does have a policy regarding faculty investments: http://doresearch.stanford.edu/policies/research-policy-handbook/conflicts-commitment-and-interest/faculty-policy-conflict http://doresearch.stanford.edu/policies/research-policy-hand.... Points 3 & 4 seem particularly applicably as a response: 3. Faculty must foster an atmosphere of academic freedom by promoting the open and timely exchange of results of scholarly activities, and ensuring that their advising of students (defined for this policy to include postdoctoral scholars and other trainees) and their supervision of staff are independent of personal financial interests. Faculty should inform students and colleagues about outside obligations that might influence the free exchange of scholarly information between them and the faculty member. 4. Faculty may not use University resources or personnel, including facilities, staff, students or other trainees, equipment, or confidential information, except in a purely incidental way, as part of their outside consulting or business activities or for any other purposes that are unrelated to the education, research, scholarship, and public service missions of the University.