After 25 years teaching and directing undergraduate research in a small physics department at a state "commuter" university, I agree with Kathryn S. Brown ("The Key To Academic Bliss Can Be Found In Large Or Small Departments," The Scientist, Oct. 28, 1996, page 15) that this can be a rewarding career. However, given today's emphasis on cost-driven management and the shift to part-time students with heavy job responsibilities, I suggest the candidate seek accurate answers to the following questions before taking a job in such a department, particularly at a public institution:
- Can the department's major program(s) attract enough students to be deemed economically viable by the administration?
- Does the department depend on large "service" courses (for example, required physics for engineering students) to subsidize a small major program? How secure is this arrangement? Might the administration decide to ignore the "subsidy" and terminate the major owing...
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