“The University of Austin looks more and more like a viable challenge to the higher education establishment. Will its competitors even recognize the threat?”
That statement comes from a tweet by The Dartmouth Review describing UATX, a private liberal arts college proposed in 2021 “dedicated to the fearless pursuit of truth.”
“So much is broken in America. But higher education might be the most fractured institution of all,” wrote UATX President Pano Kanelos who left his post as president of St. John’s College in Annapolis. “The reality is that many universities no longer have the incentive to create an environment where intellectual dissent is protected and fashionable opinions are scrutinized.”
Keeping true to its values, the university continues to radicalize the state of higher education through the implementation of groundbreaking policies designed to separate UATX from the pack.
In its most recent update, the university announced plans to allow administrators to work remotely while looking into outsourced positions abroad to prevent on-campus administrative bureaucracies, The Dartmouth Review reported. In addition to saving money, the university’s Chief Academic Officer Jacob Howland explained, it would provide foreign workers with adequate US-level wages. Additionally, UATX has proposed allowing academic departments to have complete control over their budgets.
The institution’s vision expands even further to create what Howland calls “club-med amenities,” such as climbing gyms, recreation centers with ball pits and golf simulators, napping stations and more.
Each of these advancements, Howland argues, saves money that can be allocated toward critical areas like instruction. Other universities lack the focus on financial health, which eventually leads to their demise.
“Financially unstable universities inevitably erode academically,” he said. However, there is little indication that there will be tenure for employees, but rather low course loads and competitive salaries.
Since its announcement in 2021, the university continues to move closer to becoming a reality.
“It is time to restore the meaning to those old-school mottos,” wrote Kanelos. “Light. Truth. The wind of freedom. You will find all three at our new university in Austin.”
