The University of Sydney Association of Professors ses a question for its November conference; “what should universities be?”

But a learned reader wonders why they are bothering, given they already have an answer.

The problem is that; “students and their academic teachers form the core of every university but corporatised university businesses run by managers now largely disregard this with detrimental effects on academic life and the ability to undertake high quality research and teaching.” The solution they say is “an urgent correction so that scholarship can lead again.”

The conference will address a range of specific questions, including, “how much management and how many administrators are necessary?” CMM suspects they have already narrowed down the answers to these as well;  “not much” and “fewer than there are now.”