The Snowball Effect

At a mid‑century university, newly appointed dean Halloway faces a familiar dilemma: keep the institution afloat by turning scholarship into cash. He confronts the head of Sociology, Professor Wilton Caswell, whose lofty theories about institutional growth sound impressive but seem useless to the donor‑hungry board. Their sharp dialogue pulls back the curtain on the uneasy dance between academic idealism and the bottom line, setting the stage for a clash of values.

In the opening act, Caswell outlines a simple yet unsettling idea: every organization contains hidden feedback loops that make it either balloon out of control or wither away, regardless of its original purpose. As Halloway listens, the notion that society’s structures can be mathematically modeled begins to feel both a threat and a tempting tool. Listeners are drawn into a thoughtful, slightly satirical exploration of how power, profit, and principle collide in the halls of higher education.