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With relatively static federal funding and industry investment, plus a strong and sizable pool of candidates competing for few faculty positions at fiscally strapped campuses, newly minted PhDs face challenging times ahead. While most graduates will seek the prescribed postdoctoral positions away from their home campuses, academic positions at two-year colleges are increasingly being considered another viable—and comparatively secure—career option.
In many ways, junior- and community-college employment opportunities revive science as it used to be done, before it became big business for university campuses. Researchers at two-year schools can investigate diverse topics with less emphasis on academic competition and market pressures, as student engagement and learning are the primary directives. Moreover, new inquiry-based, student-centered research opportunities are helping community colleges achieve these goals.
Despite the ...
