The other day I read a horrible article in our local paper, it stated that the university here locally was going to cut out their medical program and degrees, and transfer those to another University.
I thought that was unfortunate, but it was a necessary budget cut they said.
One thing I didn't understand is that they just built a brand-new campus, and now they are cutting out the number of classes and degree programs.
They spent tens of millions of dollars on the campus, and now they don't have enough money in their budget to teach the classes.
Yes, I know that universities always spend lots of money on their beautiful buildings, and some of them are truly incredible.
But in reality; do they really need all those big buildings, what does it prove.
The local college here does not have degree programs in architecture, or even construction for that matter; what's the big idea with these large and dynamic structures? Did you know that Plato often walked with his students through the olive orchards, and sat up on block walls and gave lectures to his class, as he mentored them? It's true, and they did that without any buildings at all, they just walked and talked.
Today, we teach in buildings, and we use technologies and overhead projections, and all sorts of other things, and that's great, but we could also do that inside of warehouses, I mean, couldn't we? I mean, why wouldn't we? Look, my question is very simple, and yes I've been a proponent of higher education, but I've also been an opponent of unearned ego's and arrogant academic attitudes.
You see, before retirement I founded my own franchising company.
If there was such a degree program I should have a PhD in franchising, and yet there are PhD professors teaching business, who've never started and run a company in their lives.
I just don't get it, and I'm not impressed with big buildings.
Well, I am impressed with dynamic large structures, but I'm impressed with the architects and the builders, not the people that necessarily go into those buildings after the fact.
If I were to give all my knowledge to startup entrepreneurs, I can do that on a set of picnic table in the park, you can bring a sack lunch, and you get real experience, and wisdom from someone who's done it.
Why not just hold our universities in the park, and they can lecture until dark? Please consider all this and think on it.