Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker writer and author of The Outliers and The Tipping Point, among other books, always has something original to say. This time it’s a critique of expensive food. Or, rather, a critique of colleges – and he singles out Bowdoin – that spend so much on food that they don’t have enough money for aid to low-income students.
Inside Higher Ed reports that a podcast by Gladwell accused Bowdoin of wasting money on food and comparing the school unfavorably to Vassar, which has mediocre dining but more low-income students. That outraged Bowdoin students and administrators, and the “food fight” began.
The administration said Gladwell was “disingenuous” because a reporter who worked for him got to see the kitchen by telling administrators that he had heard how good the food at Bowdoin was and he wanted to visit the kitchen. No reference to the planned critique, and no follow-up discussion about low-income students. On the other hand, this story may be an early manifestation of the “dog days” of summer in higher education when nothing too important is happening.
As Stephen Burd of New America commented to IHE: “I think that Gladwell made some very valid points, and a very entertaining program. He just should have done some more reporting.