If an institution is to function smoothly, details are important -- but a president should not be the one to focus on them, if the college or university is to thrive.
Why are they so poorly valued and treated? Why have they become the "untouchables" of our higher-education caste system? The answer is complex. It is in part the result of our growing class divide, in which blue-collar and low-level service workers are granted little or no respect and are treated accordingly.
While public universities are non-profit institutions, they are increasingly exhibiting corporate behavior, from highly paid presidents to superfluous administrators, to replacing tenured faculty with poorly paid part-time teachers.
