[WS:] So do the doctors and airline pilots. Hospitals and aircraft are hierarchical and I definitely would not like them to be otherwise.
Hierarchy is not a problem. Charaltanry is. I would not like airline pilots telling me that they can cure my inclusion body myositis nor would I like doctors telling me that they can fly me from IAD to CDG - or at lest that they can do so expertly. It is the pretense of doing cutting edge scientific research while word processing conventional platitudes or doing second rate social commentary that is the problem with universities.
Wojtek