Politicians obliged universities to hire friends in return for help in ensuring a steady flow of funds. By forging documents and bribing appropriate officials, university staff secure larger retirement checks than they are entitled to and retire before the customary age.

The professoriate is a gatekeeper, determining a student's first exposure to ethical standards, traditions. Many observers of contemporary academic culture have documented cases if irresponsible and unethical behavior within the professoriate. Examples include lateness for class, use of vulgarity in scholarly forums, showing favouritism among students, improper use of campus funds, plagiarism, sexual liaisons with students, failure to properly perform administrative duties, and, most basic, unwillingness to uphold the value of truth in teaching and research.

The president of Nevada's largest college is demoted amid allegations of nepotism, harassment, and petty corruption.

Many Mexicans blame the National Education Workers Union, which has created "a monstrous system of perks and patronage", including the selling of teaching positions.

The legal advisor to the Eduardo Mondlane University has denied that there was anything improper in giving scholarships to people who do not work at the university. In 2003 alone, over 147,000 US dollars, money that should have been used to send teachers to take further degrees abroad, in order to build up the institutional capacity of the university, were allegedly spent instead on the Vice-Chancellor's daughter, two children of the head of the universities public relations and 16 others.