by Charles J. Sykes
ProfScam reveals the direct and ultimate reason for the collapse of higher education in the Unites States the selfish, wayward, and corrupt American university professor. "ProfScam is an incisive and convincing indictment that deserves to be read by anyone concerned about the future of American higher education" - The New York Times Synopsis For anyone who has wondered about the declining quality of American education, here is a fiercely argued, often infuriating, book that goes to the heart of the modern university's problem: the professors. He charges that teaching has become a lucrative racket, where persistent corruption runs rampant. From The Publisher: Profscam reveals the direct and ultimate reason for the collapse of higher education in the United States - the selfish, wayward, and corrupt American university professor. In this fiercely argued, often infuriating book, investigative journalist Charles J. Sykes charges that college teaching has become a lucrative racket, where the most important responsibility - undergraduate teaching - has been abandoned in favor of trendy research, the pursuit of personal or political agendas, outside consulting contracts, and the drive for tenure. With example after example drawn from America's most prestigious schools, Profscam demonstrates the persistent corruption of higher education and offers clear solutions to restore excellence to teaching. Parents, students and educators will be shocked by this book - perhaps shocked into taking action. "Mr. Sykes' vivid and occasionally eloquent exposé is sure to provoke howls of indignant rage in the academy. Yes, he tends to paint with a broad brush and sometimes engages in dramatic overstatement. . . . {But} at bottom, as his analysis shows, what is at stake in the dereliction of the professoriate is nothing less than the traditional idea of liberal arts education. One wishes that Mr. Sykes had devoted more detailed attention to the essentially political motives that stand behind so many depredations in the academy today, especially in the humanities and social sciences. But as a report from the front, 'Profscam' is an incisive and convincing indictment that deserves to be read by anyone concerned about the future of American higher education." - Roger Kimball - The New York Times Book ReviewCHARLES SYKES is the author of three previous books, Dumbing Down Our Kids, The Hollow Men, and A Nation of Victims. A journalist who specializes in educational issues, he has written for and is frequently quoted by newspapers including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on The Today Show, The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder, and NPR's Talk of the Nation to discuss schooling. A senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, Sykes lives with his wife and three children in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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