The CalTech Divisions, however, seemed premised on a fluid reading of - though the word is nowhere mentioned in the article - the impact of The Market on those timeless entities we hail as Disciplines... an altogether more instrumental perspective and one which, here, would separate the proverbial sheep from the goats. Or the Real Universities from the "universities" of Technology.
Dispensing with Departments provides an interesting counterpoint to a suggestion made recently that the way to save the University (at least, this one) from itself would be to dispense with Faculties, and rather have a centre which related directly to Departments.
Which, of course, would involve the untangling of what is fondly referred to as "devolution" - however little it resembles the concept - and the centralisation or decentralisation of functions, staff and structures located at this middle level. Many of which, the proponents argue, would simply disappear as they serve no purpose beyond self-justification.
Perhaps the logical approach would be to decide what kind of University we want - a collegial university, in which a flatter structure would assist; or an entrepreneurial university, where the flexible CalTech model would allow for rapid response to market opportunity; or any of a myriad other possible organisational models - some with interesting names like "network" and "clover leaf" - swelling the pages of management journals like SMR and HBR.
But then, agreement on this matter is unlikely.
Or any other matter, beyond that parking is a problem...