It would appear the belief "Academics are focused on one area of study and its demands." may be seen as inflexibility on the part of an academic.

Take for example history, politics and political economy. These subjects are seen as arty - hence far less relevant. This makes students who take them less employable (and lower paid) than students who take engineering, accountancy and dentistry.

That's why they are called BAs (Bugger Alls).

There is a lot of intellectual arrogance in irrelevance?

I was marked down on one subject, even though my answer and analysis was 100% correct, simply because I didn't show how I arrived at my conclusion!

And as the examiner concluded, impossible to workout in my head!?

Simply put, today's student needs to know three times more subject matter than the old "Professors" who teach them; therefore the irrelevancies must go alongside the time wasting they create!

There is just not the time for these favorite intellectual exercises; usually put about by folk welded to a particular view and time to waste?

If the object is how to learn how to learn and think?

These folk are mounting a very poor example of how to do that, let alone learn self actuated critical thinking!?

Just as an unexamined life is hardly worth living so also unexamined belief systems, or we know best elitism;or in a commercialized academy, where time is money!
Rhrosty.

This article nailed what is wrong with tertiary education. Welcome to the "Bums on Seats University."

Tertiary education is a business, and educating foreigeners is an 'export', even though the students come here to get it. That's how stupid the whole thing is.

well...since irrelevance has no morality, and virtue is a higher moral state, neither applies to higher education, (without risk)!
A better question would be; what are the risks to higher education? One of course is relevance.