" …But while they’re content with teachers, students aren’t much interested in them as thinkers and mentors. They enroll in courses and complete assignments, but further engagement is minimal." …
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/opinion/sunday/whats-the-point-of-a-professor.html?_r=0
First, I think they serve a dual purpose: for most schools, their research is what actually matters.
Second, there’s always students that DO use them for their knowledge and mentorship. And that often leads into research, feeding the original purpose of academia: advancing human intelligence and capability as a species. Getting rid of professors would stunt that completely!
Are less students using professors in this way? Yeah, because college isn’t about pure academia and is also about getting a job too. Does that mean academia has to go? Of course not!
As a student that places myself (and the school I attend) in the jobs over academia category, it doesn’t mean professors aren’t useful and doing research. Just two days ago I met with one of my professors to discuss future research and career paths: for experience and guidance.
I feel like the article has an odd caution: why can’t the role of professors change? Is there anything inherently wrong with it. If you tell people you must have a college degree to get a job, you can’t expect them all to be academics. So you let them check off their requirement, and give the personal and mentoring attention to those who want it. And in the end, nothing really changes: the professor is still doing research and mentoring kids, and people get degrees to go do jobs.