The university sector is shedding hundreds of jobs, with responsibility being laid at the feet of government reforms and poor management. How did we get here?
The purpose of universities is to educate not to make money. The money is a secondary reward for doing the primary thing. If the money supercedes the education then the core is rotten.
Universities selling unearned degrees for money are cannibalising their reputation in the process and as a result are damaging the reputation of the industry as a whole. This needs to stop.
Disagree on one point - independent research. Higher ed should be the venue where research that's not directly attached to a commercial body can sit. I'm supportive of running a small surplus on fees as long as it's directed to research, otherwise you're stuck with governmental and commercial grants which frequently come with strings attached.