NYU, in fact, got in hot water a few years back when the perks for such profs were leaked. They can also generate sour feelings among the ranks. Whether or not they contribute to enhanced enrollment, CelebriProfs add to an institution’s prestige and can save money in freelance contracts. There has been an effort to emulate sports franchises with its superstar culture, and law firms who bring in rainmakers." Schools are seeking students overseas and yes, relying on non-tenure track faculty. "Higher education has not been a growth industry, with federal research cutbacks, and the number of college-age students down. "The trend is more pronounced than ever," says Mitchell Moss, professor of urban policy and planning at NYU. Universities give the CelebriProfs gravitas, and CelebriProfs give universities sex appeal. Still, many universities seem to feel a famed faculty makes a difference. "Students today are quite sophisticated and they recognize the importance of having the opportunity to learn from, and do research with, faculty who are among the best." "We are not looking for celebrity when we recruit, but rather individuals who have distinguished themselves in their fields of scholarship," says Henry Yang, Chancellor of the University of California at Santa Barbara (whose faculty includes six Nobel winners). It still can be, particularly at public universities, which pride themselves on cutting-edge research. Once upon a time, garnering a Nobel Prize winner or a philosophy genius was the ultimate college coup. 'Poetry-famous' is nice and quiet, just the way I like it." Barnard writing teacher and transgender author Jennifer Boylan says her students didn’t really take notice of her credentials "until I was impersonated by Will Forte on Saturday Night Live." * Universities give the CelebriProfs gravitas, and CelebriProfs give universities sex appeal. When Elizabeth Alexander was asked whether students flock to her classes at Yale because she was chosen to read a poem by President Obama at his inauguration, she replied, "I would guess that any particular enthusiasm comes from my reputation as a good teacher. "Maybe one out of four of my students come for my name," says USC Senior Lecturer Richard Reeves, author of highly regarded presidential biographies. They may give up extensive feedback, but they get depth of experience and maybe even contacts." Seminars like Woodward’s get 80 or more applicants for less than 20 spots.įrom their side, CelebriProfs naturally hope to be seen as more than show ponies. In defense of CelebriProfs, Ann Fadiman, who has taught non-fiction writing at Yale for a decade says, "It’s exciting for students to be able to study with someone like Bob Woodward. On the other hand, he could be very funny." Another, who took a class with Joyce Carol Oates, claimed, " Warren Oates would have been more inspiring and he’s dead." Nevertheless, colleges are increasingly stocking up on "CelebriProfs." Some give students their money’s worth: The Stanford Daily reported that Condoleeza Rice’s class was "dynamic, fast paced and highly cerebral," while a student commenting at described Junot Diaz as a breath of fresh air from the dullness that is usually MIT." Others earn lukewarm reviews: One Princeton student at described Paul Krugman as "a lot more disorganized than most of my professors and also perpetually late. When Summer Kennedy applied to Brown, she says her choice wasn’t based on the number of teachers with familiar names "I knew Harvard had more well-known professors," she says, "but I chose Brown because of many other things." Now, as a college sophomore, she chooses her classes based on word of mouth and teachers’ ratings on websites.
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