> Things went pretty well before the metric culture invaded the academy. They can go well again.

That won't happen, mostly because employers have outsourced education and vetting (in the form of requiring bachelor/master degrees) to universities (and the associated costs to governments and/or students who pay tuitions) instead of the old style vocational training/apprenticeship system where the employers had to pay.

Want to restore academia to only those actually interested in science? Make employers pay a substantial tax on jobs requiring academic degrees.