Nothing is tougher to change than an entrenched bureaucracy, whether it be government, military (a government adjunct), academia (usually a government adjunct, but not always) … or business. And yes, I’ve “played the game” with all of them. In each one, the primary strategy/tactic seems to be CYA. I think most people who have had to deal with such a system will agree with me.
In
every large bureaucracy I have encountered, people who are basically non-productive have far out-numbered employees who actually produce value for the organization … i.e. make
useful products, facilitate productive operations, or actually serve customers. The rest answer the phone and pass the buck, churn out reports that no one reads, or basically sit around and bitch about how under-paid and over-worked they are. Am I exaggerating? Maybe a bit, but not much … think “Dilbert.”
Does anyone recall this article from the September 2016 Kaimin? (I know, they’re not the epitome of authority, but they do have some useful stuff.)
http://www.montanakaimin.com/news/w...le_2aa74de6-8663-11e6-b157-6bcf591c82e0.html
Some key quotes:
In Montana, there are students who grow up with a strong connection to one university over another. Those students know from an early age where they’ll end up. But then there are those who have no allegiances, and who base their decisions on the information, service and encouragement they receive from each school.
This is where UM loses.
… During the summer, transfer student applications were backed up two months because of UM’s outdated application processing system.
…
To fix this, Crady said the admissions office has updated its computer software and will be going paperless. [Remember, this was in late 2016] He also said more people will be hired in the evaluation office to reduce the time it takes to process applications. …
There’s more that elaborates on the recruitment/perception problems at the time. Personally, I think Bodnar has done pretty well, considering what he was/is up against.