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<p>I’m skeptical to a relapse, the circumstances are completely different. A university nowadays cares about attrition rate (statistics are readily available). If their attrition rates are too low then it will discourage potential applicants and obvious loss of current students (loss of revenue). Less students getting jobs or going to grad. school reflects poorly on the school. I’m also guessing the classes back then consisted of a homogeneous group of students, nowadays there’s a strong push for both gender and ethnic diversity. </p>
<p>As it is, I don’t see standards getting higher in the recent future. Grading at Cornell should not be a concern, as it is now mediocre work in most classes merits an A.</p>