After reading several articles in one recent issue regarding funding shortages, I am puzzled. In "U.S. Funding Shortfall Undermines Investment In Training Scientists" [The Scientist, June 25, 1990, page 1], it is written that junior faculty are being told by their universities that their teaching skills are not wanted and are a waste of time.
Another page of the story headlined the drastic shortage foretold by the year 2000. Something doesn't add up. Exactly where is this shortage supposed to occur? There seems to be a 10-fold excess in the supply of young scientists in academia, who are not wanted without a reasonable expectation of being largely self-supporting and being able to continue to rent lab space from the institution.
Judging by skyrocketing tuition costs, there will be many students who won't be able to afford college, so teaching should not be a shortfall. Judging by the tax structure that ...
