Peter MacKinnon: Illiberalism is a bigger threat to universities than administrative bloat

It is important that we return to and re-emphasize the fundamental purposes of universities: teaching and research

Is bloat a problem in our universities? It is sometimes suggested that universities’ workforces have grown exponentially and haphazardly, generating costs on a scale that creates financial risk. They have certainly grown, outpacing the communities of scholars that they once were, to become large, bureaucratic institutions with administrative and support personnel to match. They have also become heavily regulated by governments and have many employees to manage their newly regulated spheres and activities.