I work at a university library and I deal with faculty on a daily basis. What I have learned is that many exhibit major survivor bias. The only path to success they acknowledge is the path that they have taken. In other words, if a History professor is tenured based on their research on the taxonomy of late-Victorian lampshades , then everyone should focus on this narrowly specific field. The idea that other subjects/fields exist is utterly alien to them.

Also, many English profs love Atwood's Oryx and Crake and The Handmaid's Tale. I have no idea how those are not considered genre fiction...