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The point of hiring faculty isn't to have a collection of impressive faculty doing cutting edge work. Otherwise, you'd get the same effect by funding corporate
by mbreese 4y ago
The point of hiring faculty isn't to have a collection of impressive faculty doing cutting edge work. Otherwise, you'd get the same effect by funding corporate R&D research. I mean, yes, they can collect more federal grant resources, but that's not why a state government wants to fund it. Prestige is one factor, but it's not the only factor... because you're right, funding the rat race isn't the point.
The point is to hire faculty doing cutting edge work is that they train students. They teach others in a field. Then you get to grow the local knowledge base about a particular method or field. Hopefully, you're training citizens of the state, who then will stay locally instead of going to a different state (avoiding a brain drain). Or just as likely, you're trying to draw in students from out of state or internationally. And then (hopefully) those people will want to stay within the state, either for more research, or to start/join local companies.
It's not the primary effect of the faculty that you want... that's nice, but it's the second order network effects that a state really wants to encourage.
- sterlind 4y agoyou hire faculty to 1) train students 2) to do cutting edge work 3) on fundamental/basic research and unprofitable but important topics. academia's not just an internship.
- caddemon 4y agoThe smartest people in a field are not necessarily the best at training, especially if they care more about their own research end goals than trainee outcomes and/or have never gotten proper guidance on how to effectively mentor. Whether someone would be/is a good graduate student mentor is a total side dish when it comes to hiring and tenure decisions too. Grants, publications, professional connections, research topic/vision, are all more frequently discussed.
- redavni 4y agoSome are though. Sean Carroll immediately comes to mind. https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/45034#:~:text=Carroll%20provides%20his%20perspective%20on,a%20public%20intellectual%20involved%20in https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral... I don't have an opinion about the bill, but thought this anecdote was relevant.