Profscam

Rating:
Summary: This is the best book written on higher education.
Review: *Profscam: Professors and the Demise of Higher Education* (1988) is Charles J. Sykes's indictment of American university professors, who he charges are: overpaid, underworked; involved in their own research to the neglect of the students they are supposed to teach; guilty of cloaking their research in unnecessarily jargon-laden "profspeak" to disguise its triviality and inanity; guilty of replacing the traditional content of a liberal education with ridiculous fads, nihilistic nonsense and propaganda; protective of their privileged position, united against dissent; and more.

The book is significantly flawed.

I hasten to add that its flaws do not wholly negate its value. I recommend it, with qualifications, to anyone interested in the state of higher education. Students and parents, in particular, may find the book useful in selecting a school that meets their needs. Sykes at least shows that there is more to look for than a good reputation and a list of professors who are stars in their respective fields. When those big name professors remove themselves from the classroom to seclude themselves in the laboratory (or wherever they do the research that is their claim to fame), abandoning their undergraduate students to the care of inexperienced, often incompetent TAs (teaching assistants), it can only be bad for the students. This flight from teaching by professors is one of several real problems that Sykes looks at. It is therefore all the more unfortunate that Sykes overreaches his case by saying more than the facts of reality allow.

Its arguments prone to exaggeration and borderline sensationalism, I am tempted to call *Profscam* a work of muckraking journalism. I do regard the book's clarity and forceful language, and its passion, as virtues, since they inform effectively and motivate the reader to act. But it falls prey to several vices: it neglects to make key distinctions and qualifications in its claims, draws logically unjustified conclusions from the evidence and from the particular case to the general, and fails to give due consideration to credible counter-arguments. It has endnotes, which enable readers to verify its accuracy and honesty if they desire; but these do not compensate for its deficiencies in reasoning.

Again, I believe this book is valuable; I have not praised it as much as I might. But readers should beware. The reviewer who claims Sykes uses "disciplined, rigorous scholarship" is mistaken. If anything, *Profscam* makes me doubt my enthusiastic appraisal of his book on progressive education, *Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves but Can't Read, Write, or Add*--if I re-read it more critically, will I find it just as flawed?

I recommend as companion reading Jacques Barzun's 1945 classic *Teacher in America*. It discusses higher education with a broader, more philosophical focus than *Profscam* and is quite insightful. Barzun, moreover, though just as opinionated as Sykes, comes across as a rational critic and a gentleman.

Rating:
Summary: Read it, but carefully.
Review: *Profscam: Professors and the Demise of Higher Education* (1988) is Charles J. Sykes's indictment of American university professors, who he charges are: overpaid, underworked; involved in their own research to the neglect of the students they are supposed to teach; guilty of cloaking their research in unnecessarily jargon-laden "profspeak" to disguise its triviality and inanity; guilty of replacing the traditional content of a liberal education with ridiculous fads, nihilistic nonsense and propaganda; protective of their privileged position, united against dissent; and more.

The book is significantly flawed.

I hasten to add that its flaws do not wholly negate its value. I recommend it, with qualifications, to anyone interested in the state of higher education. Students and parents, in particular, may find the book useful in selecting a school that meets their needs. Sykes at least shows that there is more to look for than a good reputation and a list of professors who are stars in their respective fields. When those big name professors remove themselves from the classroom to seclude themselves in the laboratory (or wherever they do the research that is their claim to fame), abandoning their undergraduate students to the care of inexperienced, often incompetent TAs (teaching assistants), it can only be bad for the students. This flight from teaching by professors is one of several real problems that Sykes looks at. It is therefore all the more unfortunate that Sykes overreaches his case by saying more than the facts of reality allow.

Its arguments prone to exaggeration and borderline sensationalism, I am tempted to call *Profscam* a work of muckraking journalism. I do regard the book's clarity and forceful language, and its passion, as virtues, since they inform effectively and motivate the reader to act. But it falls prey to several vices: it neglects to make key distinctions and qualifications in its claims, draws logically unjustified conclusions from the evidence and from the particular case to the general, and fails to give due consideration to credible counter-arguments. It has endnotes, which enable readers to verify its accuracy and honesty if they desire; but these do not compensate for its deficiencies in reasoning.

Again, I believe this book is valuable; I have not praised it as much as I might. But readers should beware. The reviewer who claims Sykes uses "disciplined, rigorous scholarship" is mistaken. If anything, *Profscam* makes me doubt my enthusiastic appraisal of his book on progressive education, *Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves but Can't Read, Write, or Add*--if I re-read it more critically, will I find it just as flawed?

I recommend as companion reading Jacques Barzun's 1945 classic *Teacher in America*. It discusses higher education with a broader, more philosophical focus than *Profscam* and is quite insightful. Barzun, moreover, though just as opinionated as Sykes, comes across as a rational critic and a gentleman.

Rating:
Summary: Too true
Review:

Another customer reviewer (Allan Bloom --NOT the author of the "Closing of the American Mind," but someone with the same name) attempts to debunk Sykes's book by a quibble over a date in a footnote.

Sorry, prof, but such a minor mistake in no way vitiates Sykes's argument.

Was, as Sykes states, the sole textbook for your class the "Rolling Stone Book of Rock Video"? Did your students get credit for acting as extras in rock videos? Did your class "analyze videotapes of Weird Al Yankovic singing 'Dare to Be Stupid?'" If so, case closed, Sykes wins.

Rating:
Summary: Too true
Review:

Another customer reviewer (Allan Bloom --NOT the author of the "Closing of the American Mind," but someone with the same name) attempts to debunk Sykes's book by a quibble over a date in a footnote.

Sorry, prof, but such a minor mistake in no way vitiates Sykes's argument.

Was, as Sykes states, the sole textbook for your class the "Rolling Stone Book of Rock Video"? Did your students get credit for acting as extras in rock videos? Did your class "analyze videotapes of Weird Al Yankovic singing 'Dare to Be Stupid?'" If so, case closed, Sykes wins.

Rating:
Summary: Anyone in higher education should read this book
Review: A good book at explaining the trends and pressures universities and professors experience. America should better define what it wants its institutes of higher learnig to accomplish; to impart a better foundation in Western cultures? Less lucrative, tenure free professorships? This book is an expose' of higher education in America. Do we really want professors to concentrate on research and publishing while performing minimal teaching tasks? The book gives examples of what happens to professors that concentrate on teaching, and forgo the research, or a professor that is not politically correct. Do we want most of the student body being taught by postgraduate student, many times unable to impart their knowledge because of a bad command of the English language? Definitely a book that makes one think about the proper place and use of a valuable asset like our universities. The book is strong on singular examples, but I beleive it was a little weak trying to portray the extent of many of the problems in higher education. definitley worth the read just to know what the trends are in higher education and I believe it would help one select a college based on the facts within this books.

Rating:
Summary: good title
Review: A good book at explaining the trends and pressures universities and professors experience. America should better define what it wants its institutes of higher learnig to accomplish; to impart a better foundation in Western cultures? Less lucrative, tenure free professorships? This book is an expose' of higher education in America. Do we really want professors to concentrate on research and publishing while performing minimal teaching tasks? The book gives examples of what happens to professors that concentrate on teaching, and forgo the research, or a professor that is not politically correct. Do we want most of the student body being taught by postgraduate student, many times unable to impart their knowledge because of a bad command of the English language? Definitely a book that makes one think about the proper place and use of a valuable asset like our universities. The book is strong on singular examples, but I beleive it was a little weak trying to portray the extent of many of the problems in higher education. definitley worth the read just to know what the trends are in higher education and I believe it would help one select a college based on the facts within this books.

Rating:
Summary: Portions of the book hit home
Review: As former faculty member myself, I can appreciate Charles' views, as I saw a few colleagues provide little support for the students. This was not out of malice, but simply a realization that the system does not reward dedication to teaching and effective advising. For example, a colleague of mine got ripped in his student evaluations twice, so what does the department head do? He removes him from teaching undergraduate courses altogether, leaving him with two independent-study graduate courses. My colleague also got promoted the same year. What a deal! All this while I am teaching 30% above capacity and getting nothing but jealousy from a few of my colleagues. My research and publication output was not compromised (any more than others), but department politics were not kind to me. Later, I took a faculty position in the College of Engineering where students WERE first. So, problems vary with the culture of the department. The author does generalize a bit, but faculty should only be offended if he/she is the offender. All of us have seen instances of what Charles has described in academia. My advice to a new faculty member...if it smells bad, change the scenery, QUICK!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book on Higher Education. Truth at Last.....
Review: Charles Sykes tells the truth in book on education. A great book with great facts and argument.

The term "higher education" is a term of arrogance, fraud, nonsense, and sham. Education is Educaiton. Education has been part of humanity since the beginning.

The forms it has taken has changed from single schoolhouse to the Univ. of Texas with 52,000 students on a single campus.

In the year 1900, only two percent of U.S. population attended college, but in 2004, the State of California through its 3-tier system guarantees 100% of 18 year old can attend college.

The University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges. The UC, CSU, CCC guarantees 100% 18, 19, year olds can attend. Of Course, what this has meant is an entire industry, jobs, money, perks, privileges and of course waste.

The kingpin of the academic world is the tenured professor. Professor teach two classes a semester, two semester out of the year, 8 months.

Basically 6 hours in the classroom, 8 months out of the year. The rest of the time, they are pursuing so-called "research" This is "lunatics running the asylum", a blank, open check for professor to do anything they want.

However, the world Charles Sykes describes in the book is coming to an end. MIT is posting 2000 classes for free on the Internet. The computer, Internet has rendered "soft" subjects like history, philosophy, and literature obsolete because all of it will be posted free on the Internet.

The only subjects worth studying will be technical, engineering, science, medicine subjects. All the soft subjects will be obsolete by the Information Age.

Charles Syke's book is a must read. The college's professors are overpaid, under worked, arrogant, out to lunch, and beyond the normal rules that govern the rest of us.

Profscam, is a snapshot in time, with computers now $200- $400 now, the world of knowledge is now at your fingertip, the old colleges will shrink in size.

Great book, Charles Sykes, tells the Truth, Truth, Truth on higher education.

This is a great, great book, must buy and must read for all.

Rating:
Summary: A complete indictment of Higher Education today
Review: Charles Sykes, using disciplined, rigorous scholarship, presents a case against higher education today and their lack of real scholarship. For those of use who have had to deal with college professors and higher education, Sykes presents a refreshing, clear and analytical presentation of what is wrong with colleges and universities today. A must-read for anyone in or contemplating joining higher education.

Rating:
Summary: An addictibly readable reality check!
Review: I am currently finishing my masters degree and am researching doctoral degress. Unfortunately, I not only enjoyed this book, but recognized many things in it as so true that they were funny (and sad).

Point: Universities are much less concerned with teaching students as they are with plumping out research that is trivial, abstruse, and to all but maybe 10 peers who will read the resulting article, irrelevent (and those ten are reading it to cite it in the next essay). Point: The humanities have done away with virtually all standards, are interested in theory that poorly reflects the real world, and consist mostly of 'guts' courses that are called that because they are so easy one can pass the tests on gut instincts. Point: tenure is partially destroying education. Once designed as a bastion of academic freedom, now it serves to insulate already detached professors even more from the real world, and destroy any notion of accountability.

Here's the books downfall: it is so eager to point out these things (even though the book is for the most part right on) that it ends up sounding paranoid and overly combative. Every example of a poor professor is accompanied by an adjective like "assinine" or "abysmal". There was even one section where the author points out that "one study says..." in order to show how bad social science education is. I was left wondering....what the other studies said. In other words, the book leaves us with a feeling that while largely correct, the author may have been a.) selective and b.) a little overeager to rip on all things academic for the meer sake the it feels good.

But the main messages is that education is overpriced while quality declines. The proffesoriate cares infinitely more about themselves (and their obscure research) then their students. Graduate students do the teaching while professors 'play at' writing important things. This is all, unfortunately, true. But I do want to write that while the author is quite pessimistic, I am not. I am currently finishing graduate work at a small liberal arts college in Richmond, VA (if you'd like you can figure out which one as there is only one). There, the teachers teach, there is no such thing as a teachers assistant, class comes before research, and classes are small enough where students even have the teachers home phone. Anyone contemplating colleges I urge you to read this book and consider the smaller liberal arts schools (and the one I'm at is top notch).

Good book!