Why are there no consequences that…
universities consider time and money spent in the classroom as wasted.
Universities are much more inclined to “invest” in beautiful facilities and grounds, institutes and centers, sports and entertainment, and information technology. That’s probably because every decision at a university is a financial decision and attracting donations is a central mission of every university. Donors want to see tangible results from their donations; they want to buy something lasting. Ultimately, they’re looking for a little immortality, hopefully with their names attached. Since money spent on teaching is gone at the end of each semester, few donors care to support it or even pay much attention to it. And if it doesn’t attract donors, universities aren’t interested in spending their money on it, either.
Students are pragmatic and they recognize that society values a college degree far more than it values a college education. Students therefore pay for a degree, not for an education, so the quality of the education at a university is essentially irrelevant to all the stakeholders. If education happens, everyone eagerly claims credit, but it’s the result of volunteerism and youthful idealism. Universities and their administrators much prefer to spend their precious budgets on activities that promise to reward the universities and their administrators. Education is not such an activity. Faculty similarly have little incentive to spend time on teaching because they are rewarded for research and scholarship. Lastly, many students are happy to obtain a degree without putting in much effort or obtaining much of an education. Strange world.
Lou