SUNY Albany: "In Defense of the University"

Al Shanker describes how the typical liberal education which universities have offered in the past has been drastically diminished. He believes that the protest culture of the 1960s contributed to a lowering of academic standards which has continued through a promotion of vocational education. He states, “The university as a rallying point for political action may seem like a far cry from the university as a vocational training center. But they are united by a common disregard for the concept of higher education and a shared willingness to sacrifice academic standards and values for expediency of one kind or another.” He sees part of the problem in the concept of equality, and he discusses his views on the difference between equality of opportunity and equality of results. He also talks about standardized test bias, affirmative action, and quotas. Next he discusses why higher education faculty should unionize, arguing that collegiality and collective bargaining are not antithetical and that faculty unions have a place in the larger labor movement.

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