I commend to your attention this very nicely written piece by by my philosophy colleague Maya Krishnan. She gives a charitable (and interesting) explanation of what is behind this endless grousing about universities. My less charitable explanation is that academics, aggrieved by, but irrelevant to, the state of the world at large, take out their indignation on the one institution where they feel like they might have some power to make a difference. But do read Professor Krishnan’s piece for a more nuanced assessment.