Tag: Academic arrogance

The Ignorance and Arrogance of Academics

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The American higher education system is one of the country’s greatest assets. Over the years the arrogance of academics has allowed unexplainable problems and problem characters such as Jerry Sandusky and Ward Churchill to take center stage. For example,  the University of Colorado has drawn attention for the actions of its philosophy department and the University of North Carolina has come up with a show stopper, nearly two decades of academic cheating.

On October 24th, the Boulder Daily Camera published an article, “Massive cheating scandal at UNC involved athletes.” Oddly enough, the article was posted on page 5 of the World View section under the heading, “Academics.”arrogance of academics - cheaters

The opening paragraphs of the article, by Aaron Beard and Emery P. Dalessio, stated,

“Bogus classes and automatic A’s and B’s are at the heart of a cheating scandal at the University of North Carolina that lasted nearly two decades, encompassing about 3,1000 students – nearly half of them athletes.

At least nine university employees were fired or they are under disciplinary reviews, and the question now becomes what, if anything the NCAA will do next? Penalties could range from fewer scholarships to vacated wins.

Most of the athletes were football players or members of the school’s cherished basketball program, which won three of its five national titles during the scandal (1993, 2005, 2009).”

Later in the article the authors stated,

“The scandal reached back to the final years of legendary men’s basketball coach Dean Smith’s tenure, as well as John Swofford’s stint as athletic director before becoming Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner.”

The UNC scandal raises a series of questions:

  • Why did the Boulder newspaper report this in the World View section and not on the sports page?
  • Both the UNC cheating scandal and the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal have scarred the credibility of higher education and college sports. Why isn’t there as much outrage for the UNC scandal as there was the Sandusky scandal?
  • Which is worse, scandals in the financial world by characters such as Ivan Boesky and Bernie Maddow or the Penn State and UNC scandals?
  • Would hearing about this scandal impact your decision to send your children to UNC? Does a twenty-year academic scandal really matter?
  • How will UNC regain its credibility as an institution of higher learning after an incident such as this?
  • Is it possible for the NCAA to levy a penalty on UNC that will adequately punish the university for its indiscretions?
  • The reports indicate that almost half of the offenders where athletes (mostly football and basketball players). Why were student-athletes the major offenders? Would the scandal have occurred if athletics was not an important part of the UNC culture?
  • After hearing about this scandal, what comes to mind when you hear the term “student athlete?”
  • Are colleges and universities more or less susceptible to scandals than the private sector?
  • Which university will shoot itself in the foot next? Locally, what will the University of Colorado do to top its latest fiasco in the Philosophy Department?

Sadly, the list of questions could go on ad infinitum. And unfortunately, scandals and the arrogance of academics are a part of life.

 

Academic Arrogance – Take II

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In 2010, the University of Colorado made a business decision to leave the Big 12 Athletic Conference and accept an invitation to join the PAC-12, a move that became official in July 2011. At the time, even the sharpest critics of CU Athletics expressed limited opposition to the move.

In their inaugural PAC-12 season the Buff athletes held their own on and off the field. In light of comments made by CU’s top brass last fall, it is fair to raise the question, “Have the CU administrators delivered the goods on the academic side?”

When CU and Nebraska jumped ship in 2010, other schools entered discussions about joining or starting new conferences. Those discussions included bringing other Big 12 schools into the PAC-12 and making it the PAC-16.

The Denver Post published an article, “CU President Leery of PAC-12 Adding More Teams”. The article stated…

University of Colorado president Bruce Benson said this morning he is wary of further Pac-12 expansion, particularly if Colorado is placed in an “East” division with former rivals from the Big 12 such as Oklahoma and Texas.

The real issue is money. Many Buff fans (and administrators) were tired of losing to the Sooners and Longhorns. The Buffs were in the same athletic conference as these schools, but they are in a much different league when it comes to funding athletics.

The same holds true on the academic side. What has CU done to improve the financial status of the university other than demand double digit tuition increases and beg for greater funding from the state legislature? Have they reduced academic programs that are not financially viable? Have they forced schools and colleges to become financially responsible? What is CU doing to produce better academic programs in a more efficient manner?

Later in the article Benson added…
“One of the reasons – and there are a lot of reasons – we got in the Pac 12 is to play regularly on the West Coast,” Benson said. “When I hear things like East-West divisions, we’re going back to the Big 12 again. I don’t know who’s possibly going, but I sure don’t want to get shorted out of the West Coast.”

Benson is a sharp businessman and knows that CU has many wealthy alumni on the West Coast. Hopefully, they will feel a closer tie to CU because of the PAC-12 football and basketball games played in their backyard. Benson in counting on that presence to increase support and donations for the university.

How much additional funding from donors can be attributed to the Buffs being in the PAC-12? How many new partnerships with the private sector have been developed? How many new patents have resulted from the Buffs being in the PAC-12?

The Post article went on to say..
Benson and DiStefano always maintained a major reason for CU joining the Pac-12 was that the schools matched Colorado’s academic mission. While Oklahoma and Texas are on a par with CU academically, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State may not be. “I believe that we should have a robust academic atmosphere among all schools in the league,” Benson said. “What schools have cinch courses or gut courses? We don’t have any and never will. The Pac-12 doesn’t. Some Big 12 schools do.”

At best, Benson’s comments were arrogant.

His comments were made at a time when CU was ranked as the #1 party school in the U.S. by Playboy Magazine. In December 2011 CU received further “honors” by being named the druggiest college in the U.S. In 2012, rankings for Businessweek showed that the Leeds School of Business was ranked 92 out of 124 schools. The Leeds School was ranked in the bottom quadrant for its core business classes. The rankings showed that CU finished ahead of former Big 12 schools Kansas State, Kansas, and Nebraska and ahead of PAC-12 schools Oregon and Utah. (Note: 16 schools from the two conferences received ratings and 7 did not. The group of 7 schools without rankings included colleges that would be ranked above and below CU). In other words, the Leeds School is an academic bottom feeder.

In some areas it is debatable whether CU is worthy of being in the PAC-12 from an academic perspective.

It is time for the CU administration to put their money where their mouth is. It seems appropriate for Benson and DiStefano to revisit their comments of a year ago about “robust academic environments”, “cinch courses”, and “joining a conference that matches CU’s academic mission”.

What has CU done during the past year to benefit from being in the PAC 12? A fact-filled evaluation, sans the spin, would help increase the credibility of the CU system.

From an athletic perspective, the move to the PAC-12 has been a positive move for the Buffs… It is easy to measure their performance on the field, in the classroom, and in fund raising. Have facilities been improved? Have current teams received better support? Have new programs been added? Have existing initiatives been support (Read with the Buffs, Green Stampede-Zero Waste, etc.)

A similar evaluation should be made for academics. Over the past year have Benson and DiStefano taken steps to deliver the goods? How many cinch courses have they eliminated? What have they done to provide CU with a more robust academic environment? What have they done to ensure that CU meets the academic standards of the conference? The list goes on.

From an athletic perspective, has Mike Bohn’s department delivered the goods?

From an academic perspective, have Benson and DiStefano provided leadership to support the arrogance demonstrated a year ago?

 

Golly Gee Whiz

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Ohio State University president (and former CU president), Gordon Gee was criticized for comments he made about the teams from the Big Ten and SEC. Gee stated that these schools deserve to play in the BCS bowl games more than schools such as TCU because they play a ‘murderer’s row’ of opponents and we do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The December 3, 2010 issue of the Daily Camera quoted Gee as reporting to the criticism by saying, “What do I know about college football? I look like Orville Redenbacher. I have no business talking about college football.”

At least Gee has a sense of humor.

Has Gee, forgotten that over the past 15 years college and university presidents have taken greater control over the NCAA?

At least he didn’t belittle the academic programs of the schools that play the Little Sisters of the Poor (as was done by University of Colorado President Bruce Benson).

Golly Gee whiz.

The Arrogance of Academics?

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College athletics is big business – and that is okay. In 2010, the University of Colorado made a business decision to accept an invitation to join the PAC-12, an invitation they had rescinded years earlier. Most fan and critics believe Buff leaders made a judicious choice when it decided to switch conferences.

CU officials justified their decision, in part, by claiming that their academic mission aligned more closely with the schools in the PAC-12 than the Big 12. This discussion makes a nice sound bite that may appease Boulder residents who do not fully appreciate the contribution of the university and CU athletics to their community.

In fact, CU’s claim of academic prowess can be challenged. Boulder’s engineering school and Denver’s medical school are world class. Unfortunately, CU does not distinguish itself in most other areas.

The bottom line is the Buffs had to jump ship if they wanted to retain a “respectable” athletic program. The times they are a changing.

College football appears to be heading towards fewer, but stronger super conferences, i.e. a different structure intended to generate more revenue for the country’s elite programs. CU has a wonderful football tradition, but CU is not one of the country’s top funded programs. Unfortunately, the lack of adequate support makes it unclear whether CU can be is one of the country’s elite programs moving forward.

The switch to the PAC 12 will provide Buff leaders with an opportunity to generate more revenue for their athletic department. There are more CU alumni and major corporations on the West Coast than in Stillwater, Waco, and Lubbock.

On September 6, the Denver Post published an article, “CU President leery of PAC-12 Adding More Teams”. The article stated…

University of Colorado president Bruce Benson said this morning he is wary of further Pac-12 expansion, particularly if Colorado is placed in an “East” division with former rivals from the Big 12 such as Oklahoma and Texas.

Later in the article Benson added..

“One of the reasons – and there are a lot of reasons – we got in the Pac 12 is to play regularly on the West Coast,” Benson said. “When I hear things like East-West divisions, we’re going back to the Big 12 again. I don’t know who’s possibly going, but I sure don’t want to get shorted out of the West Coast.”

The Post article went on to say..

Benson and DiStefano always maintained a major reason for CU joining the Pac-12 was that the schools matched Colorado’s academic mission. While Oklahoma and Texas are on a par with CU academically, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State may not be. “I believe that we should have a robust academic atmosphere among all schools in the league,” Benson said. “What schools have cinch courses or gut courses? We don’t have any and never will. The Pac-12 doesn’t. Some Big 12 schools do.”

Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate for Benson to make some of these comments in private, rather than to the Denver media?

As a newcomer to the conference, does Benson really think he can influence decisions by making public statements about getting shorted out of the West Coast?

What entitles Bruce Benson to use ATHLETICS, specifically the PAC-12 Conference, as a bully pulpit for belittling the quality of learning in the schools of the Big 12? Shouldn’t he be more focused on making sure the CU campuses are the best they can be?

Arrogant or not?