This article is missing one very crucial fact. Universities are not only about teaching. For professors looking for jobs at traditional universities, they are l

This article is missing one very crucial fact. Universities are not only about teaching. For professors looking for jobs at traditional universities, they are looking for a research position. That is the primary purpose for most faculty. Teaching at these types of institutions is by and large a secondary concern for professors. That is not to say they all take it lightly of course. In terms of learning, universities have never been about training people for careers, at least historically. We have trade schools for that purpose, where the teachers do not have the same credentials as professors at big universities, but they also do not necessarily need them, as has been pointed out by many. The point of learning at a big university, is that people on the cutting edge of research in a given field have a moral obligation to pass on their knowledge, and teach new experts in that field. This is for the betterment of our culture as a whole. Where else can you get taught by a researcher on the cutting edge? How many research companies allow such access to their core research personal? Let alone have these personal spend almost half their time educating? This has been the historical purpose of university teaching. It has never been about teaching students jobs skills, but rather about teaching both critical thinking skills, as well as insight from experts the public may not otherwise have access to. In recent times, universities have been almost forced to accept that they do train people for jobs, in addition to the theory. This is because of the rush for university education for its value in getting any job, however misplaced. Everyone wants the best for their kids, thus the pressure to go for the top, even though 99% of university students simply want a decent paying job, and are not there to learn anything other than a way to get that. To summarize, yes, university professors matter. They are not simply teachers, but researchers at the forefront of their respective fields. Access to teachers of this sort is extremely important and cannot be replaced by trade schools. The question being posed by the original article is more a question of how do we teach trade skills, and what is the level of expertise required for that purpose. Should universities operate trade schools on the side? It is perhaps a necessity, if only because of the social stigma associated with actual trade schools. Many universities already employ non-research faculty, i.e. trade school professors, to teach lower level courses, leaving the specialized courses to those who work in those areas. On the other hand, actual trade schools are seemingly on the rise again. That is not a bad thing.