HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Frustrated Profs Shut Down A Chancellor Search, Leaving President ‘Mortified.’ “The search for a new chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Boston was shut down on Monday after the three finalists for the job dropped out. The candidates made their decision following faculty criticism of both the finalists and the search process. That’s an unusual outcome to a very common controversy. The widespread use of search consultants, the decline in shared governance, and the politicization of higher education have all contributed to the marginalization of faculty input in searches.”

Outside search firms are all the rage, but they don’t seem especially good at what they’re hired for. In fact, at my own institution, I think it’s fair to say that the quality of our administration has dropped since we started using them as opposed to promoting internally.