What’s worse, joining the multitudes pursuing perverse incentives to earn a spot in college rankings by US News & World Report … or qualifying for a feature story about college amenities in Town & Country?

A few years ago, as part of a project to explore higher education business models, I found myself visiting a campus steeped in excessive amenities. My wife, who accompanied me, remarked that the place seemed a bit like Stepford. She had witnessed its staff polishing the bronze statues of heroes that line the quad, adding to the overall Wes Anderson-feeling presentation. Several of the buildings are named after donors, many, the furniture tycoons who represent the host city’s historical importance. Next, the university was angling for a gift from the homophobe CEO of Chick-fil-A.

The campus creates a white spot in a poor Black town (nothing unusual about that). A pr guy noted that you won’t see students with their “pants hanging down.” He showed us aerial photos of the sterile campus, taken from a drone (probably nothing new there anymore either).

The local alternative weekly noted at the time of our visit while the university might have good academics, “several other factors that make this very attractive campus a minus. To start, you can barely see how beautiful it is because a fence surrounds it and entrances are gated. This shuts off any potential communication students can have with the outside world. There are also no bars or places to gather near campus (As if [the place] wasn’t dull enough).”