Will Obama fix academic job market

[Ferrero]

Obama may well turn the economy around with his economic stimulii. However, the effects may not be felt for another few FY. What are the chances that the economy will be booming by the time entering Ph.D. students (for fall '09) hit the job market? 8)

[Nofia]

haha, in my fantasy world, the combination of economic stimulus and retiring professors is going to make the market better by the time I'm out there looking for jobs, but in my cynical, rational mind I imagine schools will just continue hiring lots of adjuncts while extending relatively few TT jobs in the humanities.

[miratrix]

I think the issues with the academic job market are way larger than this recession. So I'm not optimistic.

[katanianQ]

I think the issues with the academic job market are way larger than this recession. So I'm not optimistic.

I agree.

There are simply too many Ph.Ds on the market (in the humanities anyway). Extremely qualified job candidates are a dime a dozen, and colleges are replacing retired tenure track professors with adjuncts. I don't think it's within the realm of government to fix this problem- maybe professional organizations like the MLA will form some kind of lobby to make grad programs take even less people commensurate with the number of jobs available? Then at least you know your odds of a faculty position are much greater after all of the hard work.

[bgk]

There are simply too many Ph.Ds on the market (in the humanities anyway). Extremely qualified job candidates are a dime a dozen, and colleges are replacing retired tenure track professors with adjuncts.

Is this really true? The second part, extremely well qualified? Do you think a humanities PhD today is the same as a humanities degree granted 25 or even 10 years ago? In my field, I hate to suggest it, but I think there is a bit of a dumbing down in the PhD program, which arises because of a dumbing down of the undergraduate curriculum. So whilst there are a few geniuses, most PhD graduates are merely competent.

[Hopelessly_Neurotic]

I'm still not very worldly when it comes to understanding how universities work. Wouldn't it be in the university's interest to resist hiring too many contract/adjunct faculty? I know they have to think about their budgets, but if they want to build solid departments, then investing in top quality faculty and offering TT positions would seem logical. Am I naive?

[rising_star]

Adjuncts don't have benefits. They don't have contracts specifying a teaching load. And, oh yea, they cost less per course.

[misterpat]

Obama may well turn the economy around with his economic stimulii. However, the effects may not be felt for another few FY. What are the chances that the economy will be booming by the time entering Ph.D. students (for fall '09) hit the job market? 8)

I am sure he will fix it after he cures cancer and resolves the Israel-Palestine conflict.

[Yellow#5]

I agree that Obama's magic dust is probably going to take some time to get to us.

I think it can't get any worse, though, and one of his goals is to get everyone in America a college education. His initiatives for loan forgiveness and universal health care will make the struggle a little easier, but dream jobs will always be scarce in any area, no matter what.

[rising_star]

He said college or vocational training. This is important because not everyone wants or needs a college education.

[thepoorstockinger]

So whilst there are a few geniuses, most PhD graduates are merely competent.

Is this new, though? I know history faculty members who got PhDs in the '70s who are total idiots to the point where I know more about the 1960s historiography in their field then they do (and I don't know much). A lot of older faculty members got TT jobs and tenure based on a few terrible articles decades ago and to get into type flight PhD programs in the U.S. now you sometimes need the kind of presenting/publishing record that used to get people jobs at some schools. Not so bright people have always managed to get plenty of letters after their names, now schools are just churning out more students of both the bright and dim variety.

Of course I am talking about Canadian schools where a lot of the PhD programs were only established in the 60s and 70s so that could skew things compared to older US schools.

[Yellow#5]

He said college or vocational training. This is important because not everyone wants or needs a college education

.

Well, that's true. To put it in terms of numbers though, and this is just one tiny thing I read, he is planning on cutting loan subsidies, but increasing direct pell grants. I have to think that this will make a difference in the long run, in encouraging college kids to finish, thus making more work for grad students/TAs and professors.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... refer=home