The book titled Cracks in the Ivory Tower, written by a professor at Georgetown and a researcher from The American Institute for Economic Research, excoriates the moral and ethical shortcomings of higher education, and according to Scott Jaschik, writing for Inside Higher Ed, the authors find fault with everyone.

Universities are perplexing places. They are filled with left-leaning faculty (like Jason) and even more left-leaning staff and administrators who profess a commitment to social justice. Yet most universities work hard to increase their status by becoming ever more exclusive and elitist.

Via Inside Higher Ed: ‘Cracks in the Ivory Tower’

I haven’t read the book yet, but anyone who works in higher education understands that the system, like most things in modern society, is collapsing under the weight of unrealistic American expectations.

It will be interesting to note if the authors address the rampant cronyism that exists in today’s higher education environment. That people who profess dedication to objectivity and the scientific method allow their own departments to practice a degree of favoritism and partiality that wouldn’t make it through the first review process of the journals they so highly laud exposes their egregious hypocrisy.

And cronyism exists everywhere in higher education–students cozy up with professors to improve their selection prospects, professors inflate student grades to shore up evaluations, departments conduct bogus national job searches for all-but-filled positions, and top-ranking administration covers up colleague malfeasance to protect university image.

Should make for a good read.

I’ve added a Goodreads link to the book here.