Dartmouth governance, again

Last week we reported on Agents vs. Principals: the strange case of Dartmouth, where the Dartmouth administration is trying to change its governance structure to limit the Board's power. We were rightly criticized by anonymous for assuming away the most interesting part of the problem.

On Saturday, the Wall St. Journal editorialized on the changes, and provided some history that might answer some of the questions raised by anonymous. Quoted in the Volokh Conspiracy,

And so a pattern emerges at Dartmouth, one interminably replicated on other campuses: The academic establishment wants to consolidate its authority and exclude those who might deviate from the party line. .