USC professors voice their concerns (Sara Newman/Neon Tommy)

In her “scathing” Op Ed piece, Muske-Dukes asserts, “handsomely paid deans, "deanlets" and vice whatevers now outnumber full-time faculty, along with NTT, or non-tenure-track, adjunct faculty, who teach many more courses for far less pay than their tenured colleagues.” While some may be aghast by Muske-Dukes’s “modest proposal” of welcoming “Professor Bieber” to USC, the responses to her article from USC’s own faculty members and administrators are jaw dropping.

From department chairs to deans to professors, the number of people in high positions at the university agreeing with Muske-Dukes’s harsh criticisms of USC is staggering. 

And it’s not merely her colleagues in the English department decrying the abuses done to the humanities. Professors from a wide range of subjects—Biochemistry, Business, Aerospace Engineering, Art History, Civil Engineering, Italian and Astronomy among others—shared similar attitude of frustration with university policies. As one sympathizer put it, “It's comforting (?!) to know that you are experiencing the same problems in the liberal arts that we have in the biological and biomedical sciences.”

Professors from other universities in the UC system and individuals from as far away as New York and Chicago chimed in with their own concerns about the “problems of ‘modern universities,’” as one department chair put it. These issues are not specific to USC, but rather indicative of a larger set of what is “happening at many schools across the nation, including here at USC,” according to a professor in the sciences. 

READ MORE: Tenure System And Celebrity Hires Hurt Quality Of USC Faculty

While USC takes great pride in its hiring of “transformative faculty,” many staff members seem to regard these celebrity professors as no more than “fancy hood ornaments.” The professors may be the people interacting with students each day, but as USC’s bylaws so explicitly state, "the powers of this corporation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as 'the University') shall be exercised, its property controlled, and its affairs conducted by or under the direction of the Board of Trustees." 

“I can only hope, optimistically to be sure, that the Board of Trustees took note.  After all, they are accountable for the direction of the university, now and in the future,” wrote a current professor. Many people have expressed similar feelings of trepidation at the growing power of administrators and other people involved in the politics, rather than the classroom education, at USC. 

At the time of publication, however, no representatives of the university could be reached to respond to these claims about the direction the university appears to be moving in. While USC's standing within the academic ranks has risen dramatically in recent years, some people involved with the university seem unconvinced that this has been due to changes in the right direction. 

“I have seen so much change here that has not only demoralized the staff but also more and more faculty each year,” wrote one USC alumnus and veteran staff member. “I am not against change but I have watched the various hiring initiatives and their impact on our budgets by luring scholars here with inadequate infrastructure to support them. The latest method of hiring superstars brings scholars who simply do not teach or only teach a fraction of a course."

The size and intensity of this outpouring of support is a testament to how much people care about USC encouraging professors to do their jobs with the support of the university, rather than invoking fear and disapproval. 

“The press is a protection, but it doesn’t protect the people without tenure,” explained Muske-Dukes as to why the people who voiced their opinions so passionately in e-mails and article comments wish to remain anonymous to the rest of the world. 

READ MORE: Non Tenured Professors Pay For 'Transformative Hires' At USC

While fear and unease with the direction that the increasingly top-down power structure of the university system are very much present, many people worry even more about how these changes may be indicative of even greater shifts to come in later years. 

“Laughing now but in ten years there will be a Bieber School of Celebrity Science,” wrote one USC professor.  “Don't you think Justin and Arnold should have adjoining offices?” chimed in another. 

Behind each joke lies a trace of seriousness. The fact remains that as the university continues to extend its control, the future of universities throughout the nation remain unclear even people who spend each day laboriously grading papers, hosting office hours, lecturing and otherwise aiding students. 

“I hope you do not suffer because you wrote this piece,” wrote a former faculty member. “You did such a nice thing for all of us that really do not have a voice, but were treated abysmally.”

Contact Senior News Editor Sara Newman here. Follow her on Twitter.