The vast majority of university employees are dedicated professionals who work long hours for below-average salaries. Most love their work and their institutions, and they want to see universities thrive. The real problem is philosophical and systemic. The people who work in institutions like hotels and private hospitals operate in a competitive, market-driven environment. They know that their livelihood depends on pleasing their guests and patients and keeping them out of the hands of their competitors.
Universities are different.
In an era when electricity suppliers, telephone companies, airlines, hospitals, tram companies, and even prisons are required to compete on service standards and price, higher education remains the last of the great socialist enterprises. Here is how the Australian system works. A small group of undergraduates, around 10 percent, pay the full cost of their education. These fee-paying students are mainly international students although a small number are Australian. In either case, full-fee paying students do not receive taxpayer support.