Funny you mention that because I've been asking myself that same question. Not specifically about universities, but I also see it at the private (elementary and high school level) as well. In case anyone hasn't noticed, tuition at this level has easily kept pace with college tuitions. In other words, it's systemic. Back to the point, the "support staff" at these schools is obscene. They are double staffing the same positions. In many instances, the role of one person 20-30 years ago now has 3-4 people. It gets even better though. Now it seems that the main role of all these "support staff" is fundraising. So to keep gouging the parents with $15,000 per year tuitions, they also have to raise a bunch of money from them as well. The head of the school is usually hired because he's proven successful in raising more money. I'd venture to guess that if a kid were to enter private school in Kindergarden and go thru a Bachelor's Degree in college, a parent would be looking at a minimum of $300,000 (at today's prices).
Putting together crumbs of my own deductions, I think what has happened here is these professors write and obtain grants for millions of dollars from the Fed. This money gets dropped into a University pot and the prof gets to name his salary (his grant money also supports additional staff) and designs his course based on his continuing grant money. Tried and true courses has lost its pizzaz, grant money flows to "innovative" courses hence the "fluff" courses.
I would not be surprised at all. Here, there are only 5 students for every employee, that they admit to publicly.