This set of articles will be eclectic and, most probably, erratic. It will deal with most facets of academia and academic life. It will consider the roles of universities, academics and students in a democracy. It will ask questions on how universities can foster spaces conducive to critical thought that informs society in general. It will navigate through the contemporary state of academia, asking questions on how research is valued or funded (or not). It will seek to reveal and understand different ways in which academia and neoliberalism interact, oftentimes with disastrous effects.