The escalation of requirements for administrative jobs at the University of Virginia and other universities may not yet have peaked. It used to be that high-level appointments--deans, vice presidents, presidents, etc--required terminal degrees. Over the years lower level positions--directors, assistants to, etc.--require that job candidates have, academically speaking, hit home-runs, gone all the way progressing beyond third place to home base.
I suppose this is so because of the glut of Ph.D.s, Ed.D.'s, J.D.'s, etc.--a glut caused by universities like U.Va., which cynically over-enroll in graduate programs aware of a dearth of jobs for their graduates. Many observers have observed that Ph.D. programs admit more students than ethics would allow in order to acquire cheap labor: teaching assistants who will teach sections and grade papers. http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/too-many-ph-d-%E2%80%99s-and-professionals/28236
On the other hand, law schools take in more students than there are jobs for the tuition money. Law school administrators surely must realize that such a venal approach to legal education leads to financial hardship for many of their graduates. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/opinion/sunday/an-existential-crisis-for-law-schools.html?_r=1
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/business/law-school-economics-job-market-weakens-tuition-rises.html?pagewanted=all
Given these situations, I am skeptical about universities' claims that their missions are all about students. Rather it would seem that graduate education is about the so-called bottom line. Business as usual, I guess.
I suppose this is so because of the glut of Ph.D.s, Ed.D.'s, J.D.'s, etc.--a glut caused by universities like U.Va., which cynically over-enroll in graduate programs aware of a dearth of jobs for their graduates. Many observers have observed that Ph.D. programs admit more students than ethics would allow in order to acquire cheap labor: teaching assistants who will teach sections and grade papers. http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/too-many-ph-d-%E2%80%99s-and-professionals/28236
On the other hand, law schools take in more students than there are jobs for the tuition money. Law school administrators surely must realize that such a venal approach to legal education leads to financial hardship for many of their graduates. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/opinion/sunday/an-existential-crisis-for-law-schools.html?_r=1
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/business/law-school-economics-job-market-weakens-tuition-rises.html?pagewanted=all
Given these situations, I am skeptical about universities' claims that their missions are all about students. Rather it would seem that graduate education is about the so-called bottom line. Business as usual, I guess.
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