"Sure, there's times when I wish I was in the fast lane," says Partridge, now Haverford's provost. "But I'm more fulfilled personally in this setting. I've been able to maintain a research career that made me happy, it's a pleasure to give really bright kids their first taste of science, and I enjoy participating in the life of a small institution."
Partridge's sentiments are echoed by other first-rate scientists who have traded in the rough-and-tumble world of the major research institutions for what they say are more satisfying careers at "science-active" liberal arts colleges. The term refers to schools at which research is an integral component of the educational process. It was coined in a June 1985 report entitled "Educating America's Scientists: The Role of Research Colleges," by Sam C. Carrier, provost, and David Davis-Van Atta, former director of institutional research, at Oberlin College in Ohio. The report was prepared ...
