A timely piece from André Spicer:
“Universities have
been growing for a decade, but most of the resources fuelling that growth have
gone into expanding university administration, not faculty. One US study found
that between 1975 and 2008, the number of faculty had grown about 10% while the
number of administrators had grown 221%. In the UK, two thirds of universities
now have more administrators than they do faculty staff. One higher education
policy expert has predicted the birth of the “all-administrative university”.
The massive
expansion of administration has also fuelled an equally stark expansion of
empty activities. These include costly rebranding exercises, compliance with
audits and ranking initiatives, struggling with poorly designed IT systems,
engaging with strategic initiatives and failed attempts at “visionary
leadership”. All the while, faculty are under pressure to show they are
producing world-class research, outstanding teaching and are having an impact
on wider society. No wonder some faculty complain that they are “drowning in
shit”.”