I'm pretty sure computer science has a universities problem. Even before this most recent surge in enrollment they were churning out graduates who couldn't code their way out of a paper bag.
The relationship between the theoretical computer scientists in mathematics and the applied ones in engineers is a little like the relationship between biologists and doctors, or physicists and bridge builders. Keeping applied and pure versions of a discipline separate allows each to focus on its expertise, but limits the degree to which one can learn from the other.
It's a bit like the difference between writing about film and making a film. Unless noted otherwise, a person writing about film has little to no filmmaking experience... Hence, I am always surprised when people are surprised that someone who majored in computer science can't program.
The upshot is that the writer agrees with you (and expands that agreement into a larger theory about what college education should be for).