Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Perceptual Gap
The University of Florida may have good reasons for closing its computer science department at the same time it is increasing the budget for its football team. Whatever those reasons are, it isn't convincing its students. Universities face a perceptual and real gap in funding football to the detriment of education. They do so because alumni give money for football programs, less so for computer science. Who is to blame them for going where the money is? Their students and parents, actually. Schools that forget their purpose is first and foremost education have lost their way. They have become soulless factories stamping out BA's and BS' who may or may not be ready for the world. Given the unemployment rate among college graduates, more are not ready than are. The scandal of over-funded football programs is well understood, but no one has moved to do much about it. There is a cabal of coaches, administrations and the NCAA that guards it. They are not evil, just misdirected. It is past time for university presidents to take charge and to return to the primacy of education.
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