... my fish from refigerator?

Considering co-authoring industry and overall dilution of academic education (percentage of people having degree rises steadily), it is perfectly normal and reasonable, given the stagnated education system. I would say that the education system is tuned to train future professors (all other not reaching that status are rejects and do not count much in conjuring the educational policies). If you have other goals, then system is formally too inflexible so you cope with gaming it in all possible ways (and it is half legal already). Lets see if online education forces changes - it is probably disruptive technology and major pressure to universities.

is to extend individual lifetime or mental capacity exponentially (or both). We are running dry of the lifetime of our best minds before more complex subjects can be grasped well enough to make progress. If you can extend the productive age even only to 100-150 years, it would allow multidisciplinary research depth unseen at the moment. All else is secondary... (and direct result of extended individual productive lifetime). I always wonder why most humans quietly cope with aging, truly disturbing cognitive dissonance.

DOL: "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." Dave: "Why not, DOL? What's the problem?"