Prestige Locks In Campus Dysfunction

The author argues that academics’ brittle prestige and moral self‑image create strong psychological and career incentives to deny problems and resist change agents they see as 'inferior.' This, combined with ideological monoculture, makes self‑reform irrational for insiders and tilts the field toward external audit and enforcement. — It reframes higher‑ed reform as a prestige‑incentive trap, clarifying why only outside pressure is likely to reset norms and governance.