James Couch

Decay of Ivy James Couch

A state university professor in Florida, having been denied tenure and frustrated with the declining quality of higher education, tries to bring constructive change to the educational system. He kidnaps his university president and demands that Florida's deteriorating state university system implement a series of changes to raise its level of quality. A strict deadline for passage of reformlegislation is given as the professor threatens to "execute" his hostage if his proposals are not implemented...immediately. Officials delay proceedings as the deadline nears. Law enforcement efforts cannot locate the professor or his hostage. The story unveils the nation's decaying higher education system as it sinks gradually into a morass of obeisance to political correctness and affirmative action. The professor tries to curb his frustration at so much waste of human talent by people in the system who care little or nothing for true educational excellence...a term that has become meaningless. GeorgeOrwell's doublespeak, as portrayed in his 1984 novel, has arrived and is thriving in the universities of the land. The story's conclusion is dramatic and unexpected. The book is a thoughtful narrative told by a university professor who uses reality-based fiction to provide this wake-up call for Americans...to heed, or to ignore at their peril.