Actually that is a pretty obscure reference for this post. But it holds true for me. In 1995 I visited by my thesis adviser (the recently retired Bruce Fetter) and asked him for advice. I had recently completed a program in Israel (the late, lamented WUJS Post Graduate Institute) and was thinking about embarking on a PhD program in history (I was thinking about an investigation into the historiography of American Zionism- for the truly curious). What I was hoping to hear was some suggestions for professors and programs where I could pursue such work. What I got instead was a stern warning.
Bruce, who never held a punch, gave me a quick lesson in the realities of university economics. He pointed out that upon his retirement (still more the decade off) his corner office and tenured position would simply disappear and the university would likely hire a couple of lecturers to cover his courses on a part time basis. None of them would get health benefits, a pension or any of the other traditional perks of academic life. In short it was a warning, and one I took seriously.
More than a decade later I have pursued an alternate path in another branch of the educational world, with great satisfaction. All of this becomes relevant again with the much read op-ed in the NYT over the weekend End the University as We Know It. Another salient critique of the current situation in academia, which will only become worse in the next few years.
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