> This incentive structure distorts research. What to do about it? I'm not exactly sure but having university administrations who see research as a means to make money, rather than an end in itself, is not the way.
A lot of the reasons of this distortion is due to the lack of funding from government in state universities which keeps going down as the cost of running a university keeps going up. Because of the rising costs, things get pushed to extremes and the accountants/administrators are put between a rock and a hard place.
Depending on the university in question, it might not be just about "making money" but just not shutting the university down and trying to swim upstream in a never-ending battle.
A lot of the reasons of this distortion is due to the lack of funding from government in state universities which keeps going down as the cost of running a university keeps going up. Because of the rising costs, things get pushed to extremes and the accountants/administrators are put between a rock and a hard place.
Depending on the university in question, it might not be just about "making money" but just not shutting the university down and trying to swim upstream in a never-ending battle.