Presentations skills and salesmanship may trump literal knowledge even in academia.

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New marketing-style methods of establishing intellectual "clout" via general popularity can encounter significant turbulence, if a popular star whose authority rests primarily on consumer acceptance happens to exist in close proximity to others in the same field whose authority is established by more traditional means—say, at a college.

Colleges are, on the one hand, major repositories of knowledge established by the methods of research and scholarship that have prevailed over the past several centuries.  But with a declining base of prospective students, they are also learning that they need to market themselves more effectively.  Having resident celebrity experts can help this process considerably.

When the views of a house celebrity and more typical academics clash, who wins in terms of professional standing?  

Certainly, by the standards of proof favored by traditional scholars, the celebrity expert can often expect to find himself outmatched.  But as expressed in the estimation of the college administration, and in the perks that accompany such institutional assessments, perhaps the outcome will not be so straightforward.

Moreover, even when there is no bona fide celebrity to compete with, some academics still complain that their organizational standing has more to do with their ability to fill up classrooms via agreeable, Disneyesque course presentation and packaging than with their actual expertise, ability to educate students, or overall contributions to the sum of knowledge.

(c) COPYRIGHT 1998 ROBERT WINTER.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.