I taught for 23 years, mostly at SDSU, while also investing in SD real estate, which eventually displaced teaching in my family’s priorities. Also started up a glazing contracting business, 11 workers at its peak, sold profitably after 9 years. Was not politically correct at SDSU, writing UT articles against tenure, inept teachers, for trimesters instead of semesters, etc., so moving toward the private sector was inevitable. Got a small pension at 50 and free health care for family. Way too generous and no I’m not giving it back.
There is vast waste and bureaucratic bloat at SDSU, as at most universities. Quality teaching is not rewarded, tenure protects the incompetent, useless research and never-read publication is prized, gold-plated student centers and gyms and over-the-top facilities are overdone, and students are not warned that certain majors are useless in the job-market. The public would be shocked to learn how light the teaching load has become for some faculty, and how little some actually work. Of course, there are many fine, hard-working and effective teachers. But they get about the same pay as the bad ones.
SDSU, UCSD, and all the other universities of course do a lot of good for San Diego’s work force and economy….spend a few billion and that’s what happens. But they could do so much more if they were shaken up and realigned in their priorities and methods. The protesting students and faculty, and their enabling media coverage do not get it, and say all we need is more money as we Californians are undertaxed, so I see little hope for genuine change.
