Outlaw | Author | Adjunct

Academia is in crisis

On the daily, intellectualism is under attack. Institutions dating back over six millennia are constantly being badgered, shamed, and pushed to the frayed ends of society, all in an attempt to portray those who teach, and those who seek to learn, as members of some lunatic fringe of their own making.

Costs have skyrocketed, making the attainment of knowledge a struggle for those in a nation that are already under the yoke of brutal inflation and costs that have consistently, since 1968, outpaced wages. Bloated bureaucracy and endowments that fund pet projects at the cost of student learning outcomes only exacerbates this issue.

Colleges and universities have found themselves at a crossroads, forced to choose between their academic and institutional integrity and the whims of whichever power brokers in Washington hold the keys to a crumbling empire. Some, sadly, have acquiesced, placing departments and the careers of faculty into the hands of a group of anti-intellectual madmen, hellbent on destroying education in an attempt to de-intellectualize the masses. Others have pushed back, leaving professors and students in a no-win situation as those who control trillions war with those who control billions.  

Change is needed. Academia needs voices that rally the cause to the masses, as opposed to the echo-chamber pontificating that seems to accompany any call to action. In short, we cannot keep talking only to each other. Our value to society, and to the continued evolution of humankind, is intrinsic. Our message needs to be taken to the masses, and it has to be inclusive in a way that goes beyond simple pandering. Ideas like diversity, equity, and inclusion (or what anti-intellectuals would call  “woke”) should go hand-in-hand with an inclusion of those in fields not normally considered academia in the conversation. STEM and trade and tech deserve no less respect than those in the humanities and liberal arts. A professor is a professor, a learner is a learner, and these communities need to learn to foster a sense of togetherness if we are all going to collectively survive with our academic independence intact.

Vox academiae. Academia’s voice. It’s time for me to speak up. I once had a full-time post, one lost to politics and internal strife. I now work as an outlaw adjunct, spurning permanent placement in favor of teaching on my terms, for who I want, when I want. In this process, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to speak up and seek to improve the institutions that I so dearly adore, in an attempt to heal and save them. That’s not to say that I can fix all of this - however hubristic I am, I am not delusional. Yet I have a responsibility to these institutions to be a voice for change and a voice that takes our cause outside our campus walls and our ivory towers.

Our cause is a cause for the masses. Education is universal. And learning is the key to our growth as a species.

Welcome to my website. My name is Martin. Let’s talk about learning.