That makes no sense. It seems to me it is an elitist view that when you provide a service to the unwashed masses, it must be of lower quality. I believe it is false. Curricula don't have to be easier if you have a large student body, and graduation requirements don't have to be lower. Taking in more students does not inhibit service quality, up to the capacity of the school, which can be easily scaled by hiring more teachers and more teaching space.
Anyhow, the volume of students as a change driver for university quality explanation does not fit with the observations that:
a) Universities employ disproportionately more non-teaching staff than they used to; and
b) Academic staff has a harder time reaching tenure.
Anyhow, the volume of students as a change driver for university quality explanation does not fit with the observations that:
a) Universities employ disproportionately more non-teaching staff than they used to; and
b) Academic staff has a harder time reaching tenure.
The explanation lies elsewhere.