A proposed university platform would let independent, often industry-based faculty run small seminars, set their own fees, and primarily offer personal letters of recommendation instead of degrees. The institution acts like Substack for teaching—taking a small cut, convening large conferences for matching, and minimizing centralized bureaucracy. The model bets that employer trust in specific faculty reputations can substitute for formal credentials.
— If letters from vetted practitioner‑faculty can replace diplomas, higher education and hiring could unbundle around reputation networks rather than seat‑time and degree requirements.
Arnold Kling
2025.09.01
100% relevant
Claude’s prompt: “If NBU faculty are primarily writing letters of recommendation rather than providing credentials… why would employers need the university structure?” and the paper’s claim that faculty would “operate independently, like writers on Substack,” with 700‑person conferences.
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