Train Mandarins, Not Academics

Modern societies need a cadre of 'mandarins'—competent generalist administrators and informed critics—to run and discipline complex institutions. The university, especially the humanities and social sciences, should be repurposed to cultivate this class rather than pursue inward‑facing academic production that the public no longer values. — This reframes higher‑education reform around elite formation and state capacity, not just campus politics or research metrics.