Essential Universities

                 Essential and Non-Essential University Faculties

Philip Carl Salzman’s article “A Modest Proposal for Opening Universities: Some Faculties Should Remain Closed” in PJ Media. (Afterward we can move on to unessential government facilities.)


In dealing with this Chinese pandemic, the U.S. and Canada have responded by distinguishing between “essential” and “nonessential” workers, businesses, and activities. Universities and colleges should draw this distinction as they consider reopening. What faculties are essential in universities? The sciences, engineering, mathematics, and computer studies are essential, in that they make a major economic contribution. The faculty of medicine and nursing are essential for the wellbeing of the population. The faculty of business serves society’s practical needs, and can be considered at least quasi-essential.


But, in contrast, many faculties are not essential; they are in fact counter-productive for society. The “humanities” and “social sciences,” with their grievance advocacy “studies” programs, such as women’s studies, black studies, Latinx studies, queer studies, and the like, today function primarily to divide people and advance Marxist goals such as class conflict, socialist governance, redistribution of wealth, and so are counterproductive. So too with the radical faculties of education and social work, all relentlessly ideological, and all sending their activists under the guise of teachers and social workers.


University administrations are chock full of nonessential positions and employees. The vast multiplication of deans, associate deans, assistant deans, and assistants to the assistant deans, vice presidents, associate vice presidents, assistant vice presidents, etc. etc. should be culled vigorously. The first who should be axed are the scores or hundreds of “diversity and inclusion” officers, who have been hired to enforce “social justice” ideology, silence dissent, and serve the “special needs” of preferred categories of students and staff. Nothing is so inimical to academic life as ideological commissars with belts of enforcement tools spying on students and professors. Show them the door, and some semblance of justice might return to campuses.