The following revealing quote is from an article in today’s New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/education/harvard-search-e-mail-accounts.html?_r=0):
“…Most professors who agreed to discuss the matter … insisted on anonymity, not wanting to run afoul of the administration…”
This is both revealing and worrisome. That’s because “the matter” that these (probably mostly tenured, highly compensated) professors don’t want to be on the record as commenting on, involves issues like privacy, academic freedom, rights of employees and employers, etc…issues that we expect professors to have opinions about, and issues that we expect open debate about from our intellectuals.
So, what does this reluctance on behalf of these professors reveal and why is it worrisome? In a nutshell, don’t expect any change in higher education to take place by any revelations, discussions or actions that come from professors, or, anyone else on the inside.
Let’s go even further. Ask yourself this question. If the administration has decided that they want to graduate more majors in X, can you count on your advisor/professor to tell you that it would really be in your interest to switch from X to Y? Maybe, but maybe not.
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