> When the US was in a college-building phase ... all these posts were new and empty, waiting to be filled. So it enabled a generation of new professors to fil

> When the US was in a college-building phase ... all these posts were new and empty, waiting to be filled. So it enabled a generation of new professors to fill those ranks. Funny story about that. Shortly after the war, my grandfather, who had a Ph.D. but had not been working in academia, landed a position as professor of economics. Not only was it an academic job, not only was it a full professorship, it was in fact an endowed chair. Granted, he was brilliant, but back in those days, being brilliant was all it took.