This long article by Peter Berkowitz surveys the chaotic state of the university curriculum today. The piece begins with these paragraphs:
An auto repair shop in which mechanics and owners could not distinguish a wreck from a finely tuned car would soon go out of business. A hospital where doctors, nurses, and administrators were unable to recognize a healthy human being would present a grave menace to the public health. A ship whose captain and crew
lacked navigation skills and were ignorant of their destination would spell doom for the cargo and passengers entrusted to their care.
Yet at universities and colleges throughout the land, parents and students pay large sums of money for — and federal and state governments contribute sizeable tax exemptions to support — liberal education, despite administrators and faculty lacking a coherent idea about what constitutes an educated human being.
The piece draws on the thoughts of John Stuart Mills in contrast to the situation
today. It is full of good quotes and useful reflections.