---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are awash in content that needs to be…"
description: "\"We are awash in content that needs to be taught, yet the vast majority of colleges give a large portion of their faculties' salaries to fund research.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/clayton-m-christensen-6841_colleges_we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be_2757894.jpg"
---

#  We are awash in content that needs to be taught, yet the…

![“We are awash in content that needs to be taught, yet the vast majority of colleges give a large portion of their faculties' salaries to fund research.” quote by Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/clayton-m-christensen-6841_colleges_we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be_2757894.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/clayton-m-christensen-6841_colleges_we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be_2757894.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/clayton-m-christensen-6841_colleges_we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be_2757894.jpg)

> “We are awash in content that needs to be taught, yet the vast majority of colleges give a large portion of their faculties' salaries to fund research.”

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Colleges prioritize research funding over teaching, despite the need for content education.

**In simple terms:** Teaching is under‑funded.

Key Takeaway

Balance research and teaching priorities.

Themes

education funding academia

Mood

critical analytical

Type

academic commentary

When to use this quote

- university budgeting
- curriculum design
- faculty development

Key Concepts

economics policy knowledge transfer

Questions to Reflect On

- How can institutions value teaching more?
- What incentives could shift focus?

A Different Perspective

Changing funding structures is complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Colleges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colleges/) [Content](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/content/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Faculties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faculties/) [Faculties Salaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faculties-salaries-3148081/) [Fund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fund/) [Fund Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fund-research-2303769/) [Give](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/give/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [Majority Colleges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority-colleges-3148079/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Portion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portion/) [Portion Faculties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portion-faculties-3148080/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Salaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salaries/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Vast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vast/) [Vast majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vast-majority/)

## Related quotes

> [I believe in innovation and that the way you get innovation is you fund research and you learn the basic facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-believe-in-innovation-and-that-the-way-you-get-innovation-is-you/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [My priorities are to make sure we get the prescription drug bill, that we fund the research in NIH adequately, and that we fund…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-regula/my-priorities-are-to-make-sure-we-get-the-prescription-drug-bill-that/)

[Ralph Regula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-regula/)

> [Salaries are a huge area of corruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/salaries-are-a-huge-area-of-corruption/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [Obscene salaries send the wrong message through a company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sinegal/obscene-salaries-send-the-wrong-message-through-a-company/)

[James Sinegal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sinegal/)

> [It's outrageous that many enlisted people qualify for food stamps because military salaries are so low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/it-s-outrageous-that-many-enlisted-people-qualify-for-food-stamps/)

[Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/)

> [You can't actually legislate what goes on in people's minds and their attitudes, but you certainly can legislate for parity where pay and salaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-rigg/you-can-t-actually-legislate-what-goes-on-in-people-s-minds-and-their/)

[Diana Rigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-rigg/)

> [We all love people who give credit to others for their success. Companies would probably do better with CEOs who didn't blow their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/we-all-love-people-who-give-credit-to-others-for-their-success/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I feel it is correct to publish the salaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-zetsche/i-feel-it-is-correct-to-publish-the-salaries/)

[Dieter Zetsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-zetsche/)

> [I urge the enactment of a civil service law so explicit and so strong that no partisan official will dare evade it, basing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-capper/i-urge-the-enactment-of-a-civil-service-law-so-explicit-and-so-strong/)

[Arthur Capper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-capper/)

> [Arnold Schwarzenegger cut teacher's salaries and parks and libraries rather than raise taxes for the many California millionaires and billionaires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/arnold-schwarzenegger-cut-teacher-s-salaries-and-parks-and-libraries/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [Yes, I introduced the congressional pay cut bill, cutting our salaries by five percent. And I think we have to lead by example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-kirkpatrick/yes-i-introduced-the-congressional-pay-cut-bill-cutting-our-salaries/)

[Ann Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-kirkpatrick/)

> [We didn't care about salaries and having a nice car. We just cared about science and were really ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-britt-moser/we-didn-t-care-about-salaries-and-having-a-nice-car-we-just-cared/)

[May-Britt Moser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-britt-moser/)

> [If we're going to spend more money, it should go to the soldiers, Marines, and airmen to increase their salaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hunt/if-we-re-going-to-spend-more-money-it-should-go-to-the-soldiers/)

[David Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hunt/)

> [I would say Silicon Valley and New York have inflated salaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-reed/i-would-say-silicon-valley-and-new-york-have-inflated-salaries/)

[Harper Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-reed/)

> [The most common reason new mothers return to work sooner than they'd like to is because they can't afford to go without their salaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-von-tobel/the-most-common-reason-new-mothers-return-to-work-sooner-than-they-d/)

[Alexa Von Tobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-von-tobel/)

## More by Clayton M. Christensen

> [“Identifying disruptive footholds means connecting with specific jobs that people—your future customers—are trying to get done in their lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/identifying-disruptive-footholds-means-connecting-with-specific-jobs/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [“In the words of Andy Grove: “To understand a company’s strategy, look at what they actually do rather than what they say they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/in-the-words-of-andy-grove-to-understand-a-company-s-strategy-look-at/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [The concept of disruption is about competitive response; it is not a theory of growth. It's adjacent to growth. But it's not about growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/the-concept-of-disruption-is-about-competitive-response-it-is-not-a/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [“disruptive technology should be framed as a marketing challenge, not a technological one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/disruptive-technology-should-be-framed-as-a-marketing-challenge-not-a/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [The only way all people can have the opportunity to choose or reject the gospel of Jesus Christ is for us, without judgment, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/the-only-way-all-people-can-have-the-opportunity-to-choose-or-reject/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [The dumb-manager theory of business problems just didn't hold water for me. There had to be a deeper reason why smart people would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/the-dumb-manager-theory-of-business-problems-just-didn-t-hold-water/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [By doing what they must do to keep their margins strong and their stock price healthy, every company paves the way for its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/by-doing-what-they-must-do-to-keep-their-margins-strong-and-their/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [Every city and town in America would be bankrupt if they kept their books the way private-sector companies keep their books - because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/every-city-and-town-in-america-would-be-bankrupt-if-they-kept-their/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [“the breakthrough researcher first discovers the fundamental causal mechanism behind the phenomena of success. This allows those who are looking for “an answer” to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/the-breakthrough-researcher-first-discovers-the-fundamental-causal/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [“In contrast, investing time and energy in your relationship with your spouse and children typically doesn’t offer that same immediate sense of achievement. Kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/in-contrast-investing-time-and-energy-in-your-relationship-with-your/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [In our personal lives, we have a lot of businesses going on. I have a profession, I'm a father, a spouse, a good member…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/in-our-personal-lives-we-have-a-lot-of-businesses-going-on-i-have-a/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [For 300 years, higher education was not disruptable because there was no technological core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/for-300-years-higher-education-was-not-disruptable-because-there-was/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [“When commercializing disruptive technologies, they found or developed new markets that valued the attributes of the disruptive products, rather than search for a technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/when-commercializing-disruptive-technologies-they-found-or-developed/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [“This is why theory can be so valuable: it can explain what will happen, even before you experience it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/this-is-why-theory-can-be-so-valuable-it-can-explain-what-will-happen/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [“In order to really find happiness, you need to continue looking for opportunities that you believe are meaningful, in which you will be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/in-order-to-really-find-happiness-you-need-to-continue-looking-for/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

[Explore all 96 Clayton M. Christensen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

## More Colleges quotes

> [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. And one reason is so many areas were closed to Jews.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-robinson/when-comics-came-along-in-the-1930s-there-was-a-talent-pool-waiting/)

[Jerry Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-robinson/)

> [Community colleges provide higher education where people live, helping to build strong ladders of opportunity that allow people to secure a foothold in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/community-colleges-provide-higher-education-where-people-live-helping/)

[Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/)

> [There were male colleges, and there were very few female colleges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-smith/there-were-male-colleges-and-there-were-very-few-female-colleges/)

[Maggie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-smith/)

> [Community colleges are the way of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/community-colleges-are-the-way-of-the-future/)

[Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/)

> [I came from a Hindi medium school... the principal felt that I would not fit into an English medium college. Though I was top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-mittal/i-came-from-a-hindi-medium-school-the-principal-felt-that-i-would-not/)

[Lakshmi Mittal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-mittal/)

> [Community colleges are great bargains. They avoid the fancy amenities four-year liberal arts colleges need in order to lure the children of the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/community-colleges-are-great-bargains-they-avoid-the-fancy-amenities/)

[Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/)

> [Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and its our job to make sure they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/colleges-must-do-their-part-to-keep-costs-down-and-its-our-job-to/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [All the colleges I played, most of the colleges, they were white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smith/all-the-colleges-i-played-most-of-the-colleges-they-were-white/)

[Jimmy Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smith/)

> [Young adults enrolled in universities and colleges or other postsecondary training should avail themselves of the opportunity to take institute of religion courses or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/young-adults-enrolled-in-universities-and-colleges-or-other/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [We are looking for targets that have a tremendous strategic fit for the company. The colleges must have complementary education programs, have an excellent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-larson/we-are-looking-for-targets-that-have-a-tremendous-strategic-fit-for/)

[John Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-larson/)

> [By making all my materials freely available through 'Giving 2.0' ProjectU, I am on a mission to extend philanthropy education to colleges globally and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/by-making-all-my-materials-freely-available-through-giving-2-0/)

[Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/)

> [Instead, most colleges are studies in obsolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-mccord/instead-most-colleges-are-studies-in-obsolescence/)

[Kent McCord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-mccord/)

> [Colleges would compete by adding professors, enhancing programmes or building nicer facilities. So they competed by making institutions better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/colleges-would-compete-by-adding-professors-enhancing-programmes-or/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [All schools, all colleges have two great functions: to confer, and to conceal valuable knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/all-schools-all-colleges-have-two-great-functions-to-confer-and-to/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Student loan debt is the reason I don't advise students who want to become entrepreneurs to apply to elite, expensive colleges. They can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/student-loan-debt-is-the-reason-i-don-t-advise-students-who-want-to/)

[Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/)

[Browse all 78 Colleges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colleges/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are awash in content that needs to be taught, yet the vast majority of colleges give a large portion of their faculties' salaries to fund research.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Clayton M. Christensen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be-taught-yet-the-vast-majority/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Colleges"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be-taught-yet-the-vast-majority/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/clayton-m-christensen-6841_colleges_we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be_2757894.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/clayton-m-christensen-6841_colleges_we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be_2757894.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/clayton-m-christensen-6841_colleges_we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be_2757894.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are awash in content that needs to be taught, yet the vast majority of colleges give a large portion of…” — Clayton M. Christensen",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Clayton M. Christensen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are awash in content that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be-taught-yet-the-vast-majority/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/we-are-awash-in-content-that-needs-to-be-taught-yet-the-vast-majority/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
