The End of College Life - Wash U Prof's article in the Atlantic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is so much waste on the college campuses of today particularly those that do research. I live in a Division 1 college town and have friends that work for the university and rarely have to step foot on campus. A lot of my friends frequently travel around the world going to conferences.

How is that a waste?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

What is your basis for claiming federal research dollars do not require the researcher to show results? That's ludicrous.

[Anonymous]

Don’t care at all, let these wealthy schools fund themselves and get off the public dole. Signed, 2x Ivy grad

[Anonymous]

Research' has joined 'holistic' in bussword bingo terms of college admissions. It is a marketing key selling point in all college presentations. Hopkins is the worst. I personally think it is a lot of bs at the undergrad level. I think schools should focus on teaching and return to the old school values of scholarship (and fun). Colleges have become too reliant on federal funding, bloated admin, and there is a lot of waste. A good opportunity to reset priorities. After hearing that schools like Columbia and hopkins get billions in governnment funding, I begin to wonder if all US tax payers should have access to the development offices for preferential support. Kind of joking- but not really...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

Researchers have to demonstrate results. Often they are contractually obligated to publish their results no matter what. They don’t have to demonstrate success. That is an important concept in science and engineering. You can’t guarantee success, nor should you, when trialing new concepts in basic and applied research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

Researchers have to demonstrate results. Often they are contractually obligated to publish their results no matter what. They don’t have to demonstrate success. That is an important concept in science and engineering. You can’t guarantee success, nor should you, when trialing new concepts in basic and applied research.

An epic cope!

[Anonymous]

NP. It is hard for me to have a lot of sympathy when academia has rigidly enforced monoculture of thought for decades now.

The traditional four-year experience where students are encouraged to think and be challenged died years ago, because the universities themselves killed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If federal funding of research was being used to subsidize all this stuff, doesn’t this just prove that it was being misused? Why not just end the research that was being funded?

Do you have an experience at a research university? Clearly not.

+1000

Federal research grants are not being used to subsidize athletics or other stuff at universities. What it does provide is an opportunity for undergrads and Graduate students to do meaningful research---those kids are "cheap labor". The better research opportunities means the better PHD (and to some extent undergrad) students you attract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

Researchers have to demonstrate results. Often they are contractually obligated to publish their results no matter what. They don’t have to demonstrate success. That is an important concept in science and engineering. You can’t guarantee success, nor should you, when trialing new concepts in basic and applied research.

An epic cope!

This is ridiculous. Do you think all experiments work out the way a scientist expects/wants them to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

What is your basis for claiming federal research dollars do not require the researcher to show results? That's ludicrous.

I am sure all the federal research dollars are being used in the most effective manner possible! Government money would never be wasted. Any standard economic theory or behavioral theory would predict that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

Researchers have to demonstrate results. Often they are contractually obligated to publish their results no matter what. They don’t have to demonstrate success. That is an important concept in science and engineering. You can’t guarantee success, nor should you, when trialing new concepts in basic and applied research.

Exactly! For every new drug that actually makes it to market (with FDA approval) there are 99+ more that didn't, many that didn't make it out of the initial few years of research stage. But that is not a bad thing. You have to do research, test theories to learn new concepts.
Think about the mRNA vaccines. They have been in the works for 30 years. it was all the work done in those 30 years that allowed Pfizer and Moderna to develop Covid mRNA vaccines in a short time period. They were not "starting from scratch". That is how science and innovation works

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

Researchers have to demonstrate results. Often they are contractually obligated to publish their results no matter what. They don’t have to demonstrate success. That is an important concept in science and engineering. You can’t guarantee success, nor should you, when trialing new concepts in basic and applied research.

An epic cope!

This is ridiculous. Do you think all experiments work out the way a scientist expects/wants them to?

+1 and scientists learn even when experiments don’t support the hypothesis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

Researchers have to demonstrate results. Often they are contractually obligated to publish their results no matter what. They don’t have to demonstrate success. That is an important concept in science and engineering. You can’t guarantee success, nor should you, when trialing new concepts in basic and applied research.

An epic cope!

Being allowed to fail is an important part of scientific advancement. Trying things that don’t work is learning. This type of fundamental research has brought us, well, everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All Americans - liberal, conservative, and apolitical - should be very concerned about the future of college given how Trump & Vance are attacking it. It is arson with no architecture. They don't have a vision for fixing it, they just want it to die.

I am paying careful attention and am very happy with the changes. These are much needed.

The people who are unhappy are those who are content to receive funds without needing to demonstrate any results.

Now the fun part - the supposed liberals who are "open" to new ideas and alternative viewpoints, think none of the above is an "acceptable" viewpoint. Because the above must have been written by a MAGA advocate and therefore not a valid view.

-A moderate democrat who voted for Kamala

Researchers have to demonstrate results. Often they are contractually obligated to publish their results no matter what. They don’t have to demonstrate success. That is an important concept in science and engineering. You can’t guarantee success, nor should you, when trialing new concepts in basic and applied research.

An epic cope!

This is ridiculous. Do you think all experiments work out the way a scientist expects/wants them to?

That is not at all the point and I think you know it.

Do not want to reveal any details or give any info to DOGE however tangential. Believe me I am a moderate democrat. No love for MAGA.

When there is federal funding deadline to use up the funds, we end up giving research money in the last 2 months to whatever ridiculous proposal comes along to use up these funds or we do not get the baseline funding for next year. This happens year after year. We see the results and they are pretty much a waste of time. My BIL is a professor at a university and there are few of these there as well.

[Anonymous]

The college model is truly broken. Departmental faculty and 'chair' positions are often privately funded, often by foreign entities. Leading to ideological bias in scholarship and curriculum. This is more frequent in humanities and social sciences. It is pretty transparent when you begin to click on departments, faculty, examine their a academic areas of research and then see the funder...